New Life
by KS4EVA
Summary: Stephanie is happily married with a daughter. Stress begins to build as she tries to keep up with her career and motherhood. Somehow, it gets to be too much and she finds herself with a strange new beginning. Chp 23 up! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

The following story is completely fiction. All characters in the story belong to their respective owners. I do not claim to own any of the characters. This story was created simply for entertainment and should be viewed as such.

Chapter One

"Why are you always crying? You won't give your daddy and me any peace and quiet." Stephanie whispered to her ten month old daughter, Aurora as she rocked her back and forth in he arms. She was trying her best to put her little girl to sleep. No matter her age of almost a year, Aurora had yet to sleep through the night.

"Is she asleep yet?" Paul called out from the nursery doorway causing Aurora to lift her head up off her mother's shoulder.

"She was close to being asleep before you opened your mouth." Steph said rolling her eyes as she gentling put her hand to her daughter's head having the baby lay her head back down. "I can't do all this anymore. Aurora is so demanding of me. It's getting so that I don't even enjoy working anymore. How am I supposed to balance work and being a mother?! This should not be this hard!"

Stephanie was completely exhausted. The combination of motherhood and her high powered career in WWE was more than she could handle. How did it even get like this? She was an independent woman. The Executive Vice President of the creative department, surely she should be able to handle being a mommy on top of that.

"Steph, I don't know why you just don't hire a full time nanny. Someone can take care of Aurora while you get your work done. You don't have to do everything yourself." Paul commented folding his arms.

"I think she's sick, Paul. She feels hot to me." Steph said, completely ignoring her husband's reply as she put her head to her baby's. Aurora began to cry, her forehead was extremely warm.

"I think we have some baby Tylenol downstairs, I gotta get to bed. I've got a photo shoot tomorrow with Maxim. Call me if you need anything." Paul muttered before leaving the nursery.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes as she shifted her daughter to her other hip. This wasn't the first time she had been left to tend to their daughter alone. Most of the time she had brought it on herself by refusing to hire help. She wanted to feel like she could handle every aspect of her life without someone having to be there.

How successful was she? Not like she expected she would be. The truth was that Steph had gotten so tired from work and taking care of Aurora that she went to the doctor a month ago and was prescribed sleeping pills. The pills were there so that she would be able to get a decent amount of rest so she could function during the day. Aurora had yet to ever sleep through the night. She wasn't exactly an ideal baby.

"You hold still now while Mommy gets the liquid Tylenol." Steph said to her daughter after sitting her on the counter of the kitchen table.

Cautiously, she took a few steps to where the medicine cabinet was located. Aurora continued to wail, her arms flailing around, telling her mother that she was not feeling well. Steph grabbed the Baby Tylenol bottle as well as her sleeping pill bottle. Hopefully after Aurora had the Tylenol on board, she would be able to lie down for a few hours and maybe Stephanie could too.

With both bottles in hand, Steph grabbed a glass from another cabinet and quickly filled it with filtered water. She sat the glass and medicine down next to Aurora who had not calmed down. Quickly she opened the childproof cap to her sleeping pills but then set the container back down on the counter.

"Shit, the syringe." Steph muttered, remembering that she had forgotten the medicine syringe that she used to give Aurora medicine.

She turned her back on her daughter as she went over to the other side of the kitchen in search of the syringe. As usual, whenever she needed something, it was impossible to find. With Aurora's arrival, her home had become far less organized than it used to be. Things used to have order. She used to feel like she was always in control of everything. Those days were long gone. Finally, after trying three different droars, she found it. No sooner did she have the syringe in her hands when she heard her pill bottle fall to the floor.

Stephanie whipped around to see that her daughter had spilled the pills across the kitchen counter. Aurora whined as she held a few broken capsules in her hand.

"Aurora Rose! Damnit! Why did I leave the bottle like that! I'm so tired, I must be losing it." Steph said on the verge of tears as she tried her best to quickly clean off her daughter's hands of the white powder as well as quick up the other capsules on the counter. She was perspiring. Who ever said being a mother of just one was easy? Stephanie grabbed her glass of water and quickly drank it. Slamming the glass down on the counter, Steph then turned her attention to the Tylenol.

"Why your father couldn't get the Infant Tylenol with the dropper is beyond me. He's not the one who has to do this!" She said, filling up the syringe to the amount the bottle said.

Steph had no problem getting the medicine in Aurora's mouth. The baby had not stopped screaming since she was in the nursery.

"You get some rest now sweetie." Steph whispered as she placed her ten month old in her crib. The room was dim and she could see that the medicine had already begun to take effect. Aurora's eyes began to close, her crying ceased as she settled in for a few hours rest.

Steph placed her right hand to her own forehead. She was feeling light headed and weak all of a sudden as if someone had began to spin the room around her. If she didn't any better, she would have thought someone drugged her. Well, she was after all exhausted. It must be her body telling her she needed to lay down. She widened her eyes, struggling to keep them open. Knowing that she could never make it to the bedroom from where she was, Steph had the presence of mind to sit down on the carpet floor as gracefully as she could. It was a good thing she sat down when she did because only a second later, she was completely passed out on the floor.

Stephanie's eyes fluttered a few times before they completely opened. It was morning and the first thing she realized was that she was in bed. How did she get there? Paul must have found her passed out and carried her. She then noticed the bed sheets, these weren't the sheets she had put on the bed, and they weren't even hers. Steph quickly looked to her right, the other side of the bed was empty, its sheets were pulled up; obviously Paul had gotten out of bed.

Looking up at the room, Stephanie then realized that she wasn't in her master bed room at all. The room was obviously a bed room, but it most definitely wasn't her and Paul's. It was a nicely decorated. It couldn't be a hotel room, could it? Many scenarios began to brew in Stephanie's mind as she happened to look down at her left hand.

"My wedding ring…" She whispered. There was a wedding ring on her finger but it was not the ring that Paul, her husband, had given to her. The ring she wore was just as large but cut completely different.

Stephanie then smiled when she saw her arms. They were thinner, much thinner than they had been every since she had gotten pregnant and had Aurora. Was this even possible? How could someone lose around thirty pounds of weight over night?

Stephanie then noticed that she was not wearing the clothes that she had on the night before that she had fallen asleep in while in Aurora's nursery. She was now wearing a silk red slip that had buttons down the front.

"This isn't mine." Stephanie said placing her hands on her covered chest. She paused feeling where her implants were supposed to be. Her eyes widened as she realized that she had her original cup size. She quickly peeked under the silk material to see that she didn't even have any incision mark from the surgery she had in 2001. They were her natural breasts. To her surprise they weren't even sagging but instead were engorged as if they were swollen much like when first had Aurora. What was going on? Steph jumped out of bed and went to the dresser mirror just to the left of her.

"Oh my God…"Stephanie said aloud as she looked completely in shock the face that looked back at her in the mirror. Her hair was its natural color and she no longer had bangs. Her nose was completely restored to its original shape. She turned her head sideways, examining what she thought to be a miracle. This couldn't be. Back in 2005 she had surgery on her nose because of a deviated septum. Her hair she had dyed blonde, what had happened to her last night?

Steph jumped as she heard the muffled sound of running water behind her. She quickly turned around to see a door half open on the other side of the room. It had to be the bath room. Slowly, Stephanie crept across the room toward the inviting door. She hoped Paul would be behind it. Hopefully he would be able to explain all of this craziness to her and tell her that she hadn't lost her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Cautiously, Stephanie placed her hand on the door and pushed it completely open. She then entered the bathroom. She immediately realized that the running water she had heard was from a shower. She could see someone standing in the shower but wasn't exactly positive it was Paul because the glass windows on the large shower were all fogged up. Slowly, Stephanie walked over to the shower and placed her hand on the glass. Her eyes widened as she was able to see that that it was a man standing in the shower but it was not Paul. The guy obviously had short brown hair.

"Stephy, did you check on the baby?"

Stephanie's mouth fell open. She immediately recognized the voice of the man in the shower. It was Kurt Angle. This couldn't be real, why would even be in the same place as her? He had left WWE for TNA months ago. There was no responsible explanation for him being here.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" Was all Stephanie managed to reply as she heard the water cut off.

Kurt stepped out of the shower and looked at her like she was crazy. Stephanie's eyes quick darted to his lower half.

"I was getting a shower, what do you think I was doing? Are you feeling okay honey? Pass me a towel would you?" Kurt said holding his arm out.

Stephanie quickly grabbed a white towel from the near by stack and threw it at him so that he could cover up. As he dried himself off starting with his full head of hair, Stephanie took a step backward.

"Kurt, how did you get your hair back?" She asked knowing full well that Kurt Angle was had been folliclely challenged the last several years and had shaved his head.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt said narrowing his eyebrows. As he then wrapped the towel around his waist.

"You have a huge receding hairline. Did you get hair plugs or something?" Steph said looking at his dap head from where she was standing.

"Baby I don't know what you're talking about. I've always had my hair." Kurt replied walking out of the bath room. Stephanie quickly followed him back into the master bed room.

"Baby? Excuse me?"

"What? You always like when I call you baby. It's sugar lips you hate. Can you hand me my wedding band? It's right there on my night stand." He said grabbing briefs from one of the top droars of the bedroom set.

Stephanie couldn't believe what she was seeing. On the night stand was the wedding band she had bought for Paul. Why was it Kurt's? She took it in her hand and Kurt quickly took it from her and put it on.

They were married? That wasn't possible. She was married to Paul Levesque. They had a child together She had fallen asleep in their daughter's nursery. That's it; this had to be a dream. There was no other explanation for it.

"Where's Karen?" Steph asked.

"Karen?" Kurt asked. He paused for a moment trying to figure out what she was talking about. "My ex-wife?"

"Ex-wife?"

"What is this? Why are you asking me about her? We were only married for a month for God sakes. She left me, why are we talking about this?" Kurt asked looking over at her.

"I don't know." Steph said back. It was all she could think to say.

"We should go check on the kids. I have to leave in about twenty minutes. I'll grab some breakfast on the way in." He said quickly getting dressed as Stephanie just watched him. Her mind was still trying to process what was happening.

The sound of a baby crying caused Stephanie to look over at the other night stand. There was a baby monitor that she hadn't noticed before. Was that Aurora? Steph quickly left Kurt in the bed room as she opened the first door she came to in the hall.

She heard the baby crying as she opened the door to what was a nursery. The room was painted a baby blue and the walls illustrated a Curious George theme. Steph wasted little time running to the crib in hopes of seeing her little daughter Aurora.

"What?" Steph said aloud as she looked down to find a plump little baby boy wearing a light blue onesie smiling up at her. He giggled, bringing his feet up to his hands. His chubby little digits grasped his feet. He had brown baby fine hair that stood up on his head. He cooed as he reached up for her. Stephanie didn't know what to do. She wanted to know where her daughter was.

"Is he in good spirits this morning?" Kurt asked walking into the nursery.

"Where's Aurora?" Stephanie asked Kurt looking like she was about to cry.

"Who's Aurora?" Kurt asked as he walked to where Steph was standing at the side of the crib.

Stephanie didn't answer him as she watched him smile down at the baby. He reached his hand in the crib and tickled the baby's tummy causing him to laugh. Kurt then picked up him up and tried to hand him to Steph.

"I think Brandon's ready for his morning feeding. I'm going to see if Andy's up. He's probably downstairs watching cartoons."

Instinctively, Stephanie received the baby from Kurt and watched as he left the nursery. Brandon? Andy? Who were these kids? This baby wasn't hers. This was really getting weird. When was she going to wake up from this? She knew that she only had one baby and that was her daughter Aurora.

Brandon began to cry as he started pulling down on her button up slip. It became clear to her that this baby wasn't on formula. His face began to turn red as he pulled as hard as he could on the silk fabric, trying to expose her bosom. He was obviously hungry and ready to be breast fed but she wasn't his mother. Was she?

Not wanting him to cry, she carried him over to the glider and sat down with him. Quickly she unbuttoned her slip and brought the baby to her. To her amazement she felt no discomfort as the baby began to feed. Maybe her body and done this before.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched the baby look up at her with his big blue eyes. He was definitely a beautiful baby boy; one that Paul and her were looking forward to having after Aurora was a little bit older.

"This has to be the weirdest dream I've ever had. You're sure sweet though." Steph whispered sweetly to the baby as she felt his baby soft skin with her fingertips while she traced over his chubby right cheek.

"Sweetheart, you sure you're okay? What was with all those weird questions? Do you want me to take the day off?" Kurt asked walking back into the nursery, his tie draped around his neck.

"I just don't feel like myself." Steph replied, still looking down at the baby.

"Do you think it's the same thing we went through when we had Andy? You had some hormone imbalanced a few months after he was born. Could that be it?" Kurt said placing his hand on her shoulder before kissing her forehead.

"Mommy, I want some pizza!" Yelled a little boy as he ran into the nursery and began to poke Stephanie's arm.

"Andy, Mom and Daddy are talking. Besides, pizza isn't for breakfast." Kurt said before Stephanie could even ask who the little boy was.

"I don't want breakfast, I want pizza." He quickly replied. The little boy had the exact same hair color as Kurt's. What stood out to Stephanie most about him was his nose and eyes. They were hers. He was wearing Spiderman pajamas

"Did you hear what I just said? Go finish watching cartoons I'll be down in a minute to pour you some cheerios."

"I want pizza, not teerios." Andy said under his breath as he walked out of the nursery.

"That kid's like your father." Kurt said before giving Stephanie a quick peck on the lips.

"Wait Kurt, where're you going?" Stephanie called after Kurt as he was leaving the nursery.

"To work, you know you Dad thinks the new branch of our business is doing pretty good. We may get some technically sound wrestlers out of it. I can't believe he listened to my ideas. If I weren't his son-in-law I doubt it would ever have happened. Kurt said fixing his tie as he stood in the doorway.

"When do I go to work?" Steph asked fixing herself back into her slip as she sat the baby on her lap.

"What work do you want to do?" Kurt asked watching Steph begin to pat on the baby's back.

"I want to be put back in my position, Executive Vice President of Creative."

"Your position?" Kurt said looking puzzled. He folded his arms and looked at her as if she had said something funny.

"Yes, my position."

"That's Shane's title, honey. You haven't worked since we had Andy."

"No, there's must be some mistake Kurt, I'm the Executive Vice President of the creative department. That's my job, it's what I do. Shane's no way there creatively to even manage that job. Besides, he's the Executive Vice President of Global Media."

"Yeah, he's both. He's in charge of Global Media and the creative department. Geeze, why are you so hard on your brother. We named that little guy after him didn't we?"

Brandon. Shane Brandon McMahon. Well now she knew where one of the names came from. It still didn't explain to her how she got here or how these children got there. She had no recollection of being married or having children with Kurt Angle. If this was real then wouldn't she remember her own children?

"He can't do that. He's has two kids. How does he have time to do that?" Steph asked continuing to pat the baby.

"What kids? Marissa and Shane don't have any kids yet. Hey honey, he's got some of that spit up." Kurt said as he went for the spit up cloth draped over the crib. Steph grabbed it from him and wiped the baby's mouth.

"Shit, I have to go. Can you pour Andrew some cereal? I'm kind of in a rush. I'll call you around lunch to see how you and the kids are. Love you." Kurt said after giving the baby a kiss on the head. He was out of the room before Steph even could think about replying.

Stephanie got to her feet, holding little Brandon close. Her head felt like it was going to explode. There were way too many things for her to process. If this was real, which she doubted it was, that meant she was married to Kurt Angle and had two kids with him. This was a dream; there was no way any of this could really be happening. She knew who her real family was: Paul and Aurora. She had to find them.

Did Paul and their daughter Aurora even exist? Everything was so different since she woke up that maybe neither of them even existed. One thing was for sure, she couldn't just sit around waiting for everything to become clear. She had to get to the bottom of this.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Stephanie slowly made her way down the grand staircase holding little Brandon in her arms. She wasted no time coming downstairs after Kurt left. Andrew was expecting cereal after all. Steph had no idea what was happening to her but she figured that she should take care of the children. They were, after all, innocents.

Following the sound of morning cartoons, Steph found the kitchen that lead into the family room. Andy sat on the couch fully taking in the loony cartoon character on the plasma television. Her eyes caught sight of the Fisher Price baby bouncer that was on the floor next to the posh couch Andy was sitting on. Carefully, Steph placed baby Brandon in the chair. He began to fuss a little but until she turned on the vibrating feature and made the hanging toys move causing music to play that calmed the baby right down. She was amazed at how easily it was to keep the infant quiet. If only Aurora had been that easily occupied, her life would have been a lot easier.

Walking back into the kitchen, Stephanie amazingly had no problem finding a plastic cereal bowl from one of the numerous cabinets.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" She called out as she filled the bowl with Cheerios.

Andrew did no reply. He jumped to his feet and ran over and took a seat at the kitchen table. He smiled up at her, his little legs swinging from the chair as he waited patently for his cereal. Steph gave him a smile as she set the bowl in front of him.

"I wanted pizza." He said scowling at the bowl of cereal in front of him. He then picked up the spoon she had laid before him and dropped it in the bowl.

"Will you watch your little brother while I go get a shower? You can do that right?" Stephanie asked watching Andrew use his spoon to play with his cereal.

He nodded before taking a small bite. Steph watched him a moment longer before she went back upstairs the way she came.

Once in the master bed room, Steph wasted no time undressing. She laid the silk slip on the bed before walking into the master bath room. She stopped at the mirror.

"Those kids can't be mine. There is no way I could have two children and have a body like this." She said aloud, running her hands down her slim figure. It felt weird being in such good shape. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to not have baby fat hanging off of her. Her hands stopped at her breasts. There was no denying that she was lactating. She didn't know how to explain that. She had never breast fed Aurora because of her implants. Why now, after ten months since Aurora's birth, was she producing breast milk?

She decided to put all these questions out of her mind and simply enjoy a nice hot shower. Steph was able to forget about her current situation as she stepped into the multiple warm streams of water.

She sighed, feeling beads of water cascade down her face as she grabbed the liquid soap. Suddenly Stephanie's eyes widened as she quickly shut off the water. She could have sworn she heard Paul calling her name. It was faint but she knew her husband's voice screaming for her. Quickly Steph stumbled out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her naked body. Was Paul there? Was this craziness finally over? Not even bothering to dry off she ran to the foot of the stairs.

"Granny! Granny!"

Stephanie looked down at the foyer completely surprised at who she saw. Her mother, Linda McMahon enter the house. Andrew quickly jumped into her arms. Linda hugged him tight.

"Mom?" Steph said, blown away by her mother's presence.

"I rang the door bell several times, I guess you didn't hear me. Andy let me in. Where's my other little grandbaby?" Linda asked setting Andrew down as she looked up at her daughter who was still standing at the top of the staircase, still dripping wet.

"Mommy put him in his bouncy chair." Andy told Linda as he pointed his finger toward the living room.

"Steph, honey, you go ahead and go back to what you were doing. I'll look after my grandsons." Linda told her daughter before wasting no time heading for the living room.

Just when Stephanie thought that she had some hope of returning to what she knew as her life, she was thrown a curve ball. She would have been willing to bet her life that she had heard her husband's voice calling out to her. How could she have been mistaken? She knew Paul's voice. He was the man she loved. She certainly didn't mistake it for the chiming of a doorbell, which she didn't even here. What was going on?

Steph quickly descended the staircase. She looked in every direction. Was Paul in the house? Her eyes scanned the dining room and then the front room before she made her way to the back of the house where her mother was with the kids in the living room.

"Steph, what are you doing? I told you to go finish your shower." Linda said as she cuddled the baby in her arms. Brandon babbled as Linda then began to baby talk to him.

"Do you know who I am? I'm your grandma, yes. You're such a handsome little man, just like your daddy. I tell everyone I have the cutest little grandbabies in the world. Yes I do." Linda said, taking one of Brandon's chubby little hands in hers as she spoke to him.

It was clear that Linda McMahon, Stephanie's mother knew the children as her own grandkids. Was she the only one who was completely clueless? She ran her hand through her wet hair while she continued to watch her mother make over the baby.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Steph said, as she began to pace around the kitchen, trying to make sense out of what had just transpired in the past few moments.

"Kurt called me and told me you were acting strange this morning. I told him that I would stop by and check on you and the boys. Stephanie are you alright? Your color doesn't look too good."

Stephanie felt like she wanted to cry. It seemed like she was completely alone in all of this. Everyone was a part of this one big convoluted mess she had woken up to. It was one thing having Kurt Angle and two small children being a part of it, but her own mother? Before Stephanie could even try and answer her mom she was cut off.

"Who has a wet tushy?" Linda said feeling the baby's bottom.

Brandon smiled as Andy laughed at his grandmother's comment. Linda stood up with the baby and proceeded to take him to the nursery. Steph followed her mother there. She watched as Linda quickly unsnapped the onesie and pulled it up exposing the baby's wet diaper. Brandon kicked his feet, anticipating the much needed diaper change.

"Go on Stephanie, finish up your shower. I can take care of the kids. You're forgetting who raised you and your brother. I'm going to get this little guy cleaned up and then we're going to go outside."

"I wanna play on my swing set, Granny." Andrew announced trying to get his grandmother's attention as he pulled on her shirt.

"You better go get clothes on, Andrew Vincent. You can't be going outside in your pjs." Linda said looking down at Andy who was still tugging on the bottom of her shirt for her attention.

"Umm, okay, I'll just go jump back into the shower. I'll be outside in a bit." Steph said left the nursery.

Stephanie resumed her shower. She wasted no time washing her body as well as her long brown hair. She had to admit, it was nice not having to use special shampoo on her hair for it was no longer colored. The brown flowing locks felt soft through her fingers. After the shower, she managed to find a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She slipped on a cute pair of flip flops she found in the walk in closet and headed to the backyard via the French door she had seen to the right of the kitchen.

"Mommy, look at me! I'm swinging by myself!" Andy called out to Steph when she stepped out onto a deck.

Steph gave him a smile and a wave before she joined her mother who was already seated under the awning holding the baby. The sight of Stephanie caused Brandon to begin to cry as he held out his arms for Stephanie. Linda smiled and held him out to her daughter.

"I think somebody wants his mommy." Linda said as Steph took the baby into her arms.

"He wants to nurse again." Stephanie muttered watching the baby begin to fuss as he grabbed a handful of her t-shirt and pulled.

"At three months, that's completely normal. You remember how it was with Andy." Linda reminded Stephanie as she watched her daughter adjust herself.

The sound of sirens in the not so far away distance caused Stephanie to look up from the baby. The noise was loud, causing Andrew to hold his ears as stood in the loft of his swing set.

"Ah!" Stephanie yelled as her body instinctively jumped. The baby began to cry as she swatted away a yellow jacket that had stung her arm. Steph examined the sting that was exactly on the inside of her arm right at the antecubital.

"Man that looks like a bad sting. Are you okay?" Linda asked looking down at the small welt on her daughter's arm.

"Yeah, I think so." Steph said rubbing her sore arm while she calmed the baby down.

"Are you okay Mommy?" Andrew asked walking up to Steph on the deck. His face showed a look of concern.

"Mommy's okay Andy, she just got a booboo." Linda said watching while Andrew gave Stephanie a hug. It was clear that seeing her in pain caused him to get scared. Stephanie's heart couldn't help but melt as she felt the little boy's grip on her tighten. After the hug, he looked down at his little brother who was now on the verge of falling asleep as he ate.

"Brandon's going to sleep." He whispered with a smile before giving the baby a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Aww, you love your little brother?" Linda asked Andy.

"Yeah…" He said with a nod before running back off the deck to his swing set.

"Mom, why aren't you at work?" Steph asked looking over at her mother who was watching Andrew.

"You know I only go into the office three times a week. I'm so glad you and Kurt decided to raise the kids in Connecticut. That was really great of him to leave Pittsburgh."

"Yeah…" Steph replied, she didn't know what else to say since she was trying to make sense out of what her mother was telling her.

"Mom? Where's Paul Levesque?" Steph asked, her face showing some anxiety.

"Paul Levesque? Why do you ask? He's one of our SmackDown guys. He really didn't do much after the whole Degeneration X storyline ran its course back in '99. He's one of our midcards. Why do you ask about him?"

"Paul is a midcard? What about the McMahon-Helmsley era?" Stephanie asked referring to the storyline she and Paul had been in together starting back at the end of 1999. It had been what brought them together in the first place.

"What? Don't you mean McMahon-Angle era? You never had a storyline with Triple H. You and Kurt fell for each other the first RAW show we had him come to. Remember, he had just ended his short marriage to that woman. You guys really hit it off, huh. And look at these two beautiful boys you two have." Linda said gazing down at Brandon who was now sound asleep against Steph's bosom.

Stephanie did not say anything as she looked over at her mother. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Paul Levesque being demoted to being a midcard in the late 90s? The McMahon-Angle era? This wasn't at all what she recollected. It didn't make any sense. If what Linda was saying was in fact true than there was a very good chance that Aurora Rose Levesque, her daughter, didn't even exist. It couldn't be true. Could it?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Well I should get going, Steph. I have some paper work waiting for me at home." Linda said watching Stephanie serve Andrew with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of juice.

"Oh okay, I'll see you later I guess." Steph said giving her mother a hug.

"Give baby Brandon a hug and kiss when he wakes up from his nap." Linda said with a smile before Steph walked her to the front door.

"Oh yeah, I will." Steph said putting her hand on her forehead to massage it.

"Steph, honey get some sleep, you don't look like you're feeling well." Linda told her daughter before she left.

Stephanie didn't feel well. In fact, she felt like she was going crazy. She didn't understand how she had fallen asleep in Aurora's nursery and awoke in what felt like an alternate universe. What was so chilling to her was that other than the drastic changes to her life: her husband and children, and her appearance, everyone was basically the same. Her mother was acting no differently than any other day. Kurt, despite his more youthful appearance, had all of his mannerisms that Stephanie had noticed during the six or seven years he worked with her in WWE.

She had to get a hold of Paul. Steph was sure that if she could see or speak to Paul Levesque he would know her and their life together. There was no way he wouldn't know her or their child, Aurora. Maybe Aurora was with Paul? They could straighten all this out together.

Stephanie walked back into the kitchen and quickly scanned the room. Surely she had a handbag.

"Andy, have you seen my handbag?" Steph asked the four year old as he ate his sandwich.

Andy used his right index finger to point to the far kitchen counter where Stephanie saw a Coach handbag. She quickly went over to it opening it without hesitation. The first thing she took out was a matching wallet. She quickly opened it and saw her driver's license.

Stephanie McMahon-Angle

47254 Riverside Drive

Greenwich, CT 06830

She couldn't believe what she was reading. It was her driver's license. There was no denying it when her picture was clearly present along with a signature above it in her hand writing.

"Mommy, are we going some where?" Andy asked curiously in a sweet little voice, watching his mother rummaging through her handbag.

"No, I'm just looking for something." Steph muttered as she pulled out the cell phone from the Coach handbag.

Without wasting time, Steph started to look through the contacts on her cell phone. She was hoping to see Paul's name on her contact list. Kurt's, Shane's, Marissa's, and her parents were the only numbers in her personal list of contacts. Paul wasn't in her business number's either.

Stephanie grabbed the phone from the kitchen wall and punched in Paul's cell phone number. With any luck she could reach him. She waited anxiously as the phone rang. It rang three times before she heard what made her heart sink.

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is not in service. Please hang up and try again."

Steph looked visibly distraught as she hung the phone back up on the wall. She brought her hands to her face and began to cry. Andrew noticed that she was visibly upset. His eyes widened as he saw her begin to cry.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Andrew asked getting out of the chair. He walked over to her and hugged her leg.

Stephanie looked down at the little boy. He looked worried as looked up at her. She quickly wiped away her tears.

"I'm okay. I just got something in my eye." Stephanie lied as she picked up Andrew and hugged him. There was something about his concern for her that made her feel somewhat better about her situation. She did not want to scare him by completely losing it. Despite her doubts about maternal bond to the children, she still wanted to take care of them. After all, they knew her as their mother. She was going to have to deal with it.

"Andy, why don't you go watch some TV while I do some house cleaning." Steph said setting the little boy back on his feet. He smiled and ran into the living room and flicked on the TV. This was going to give Stephanie some time to explore the house and maybe find contact information for Paul.

Steph started down the hall that was on the opposite side of the house that she had been in. At the end of it was a room that looked like a study. There were two desks, one she presumed to be Kurt's because of the Olympic Gold medal in a glass case right behind the desk. The other she knew immediately was hers because she recognized her hand writing on some of the stacks of paper that cluttered the desk. It looked like it had been untouched for a while. Kurt had mentioned to her that she hadn't really worked since Andrew was born four years ago. Steph sat down in the desk chair and was about to open one of the droars when her eyes caught sight of a picture sitting on her desk in a silver frame.

"Oh wow…" She muttered picking up the picture. It was a wedding photo of her and Kurt. They were smiling like any happy couple that had just tied the knot. Her wedding dress was flawless, very similar to the one she had worn to her and Paul's wedding. This wasn't possible. She had no recollection of marrying Kurt Angle. As far as she knew, Paul Levesque was her first and current husband. She had married Paul in 2003 in Sleepy Hollow. What surprised even more was the date that she saw at the bottom of the picture.

October 25, 2002

The date was her and Paul's wedding date except it was a year before she and Paul got married. The color drained from Stephanie's face as she set the picture down on the desk. She then opened the first droar of the desk. When she looked inside, a labeled plastic DVD case caught her eye. She quickly removed it and read the title.

"McMahon-Angle Family Barbeque: February 2, 2007" She read. The date was only three months ago. She hoped whatever was on this tape may provide her with answers to what was going on. Steph hit the power button on her laptop and waited for it to boot up. Once on the desktop she inserted the DVD into the tray and closed it. Her eyes widened as the DVD began to play.

"Andy, wave hi to the camera."

Steph knew the voice immediately as her brother, Shane. The camera zoomed in on Andrew as he smiled before running away from the camera. The camera quickly shifted to what was obviously the kitchen of the home Steph was in at the moment.

Stephanie's jaw dropped when she saw the camera pan in on her. She was obviously nine months pregnant. She stood next to Marissa at the kitchen counter. They looked to be preparing salads and other side dishes.

"Shane, don't film me, I look like a fat cow." A pregnant Steph said, placing her hand on her abdomen. Watching the video, Steph noticed that she didn't look like she weighed as much pregnant in the video as she remembered looking when she had Aurora. The only weight she could see on herself was the baby weight she was carrying in the front. Her arms weren't huge at all.

"Steph, you look amazing." Kurt said coming behind her giving her a kiss on the check as he too put his hands on her abdomen, over hers. Steph turned and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey Kurt, how are those steaks coming?" Shane asked while videotaping.

"There're almost done. Vince took over for me."

Stephanie's eyes stayed glued to the laptop screen as she watched the rest of the home movie. It was a surreal experience seeing herself on that video. She knew it was her but it was like watching someone else. She was completely blown away. This was real. She was Mrs. Kurt Angle. She had given him two sons.

It couldn't be true. What about Paul? She couldn't have just dreamed up their life together. They were a real couple. She could remember like it was yesterday the first time he had told her that he loved her. Their wedding and the birth of their child was imprinted in her mind forever. Surely, all these wonderful memories of the life she had with the man she loved were not fabricated. She would have to accept that Kurt Angle was her husband and that Andrew and Brandon were her two children, but she wasn't going to give up hope on Paul and Aurora.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Mommy, Daddy's on the phone." Andrew announced holding the phone out for Steph to take.

His words literally made Stephanie jump back to reality. She had been deep in thought for several moments. Trying her best to make sense of the situation she had been put in. Steph took the phone from the little boy and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey, how are you guys doing? Are you feeling any better?" Kurt asked.

"Not really, Kurt." Steph muttered looking over at the wedding picture of them. She didn't want to be there anymore. Steph wanted to be home with Paul and Aurora.

"So you wouldn't feel like going to dinner tonight. Just the two of us, we could get your mom to watch the kids and-"

"No, I don't want to go out anywhere." Stephanie snapped back before Kurt could even finish his sentence.

"What's wrong, Steph? Why do you sound so agitated? Do you need me to come home early and help you with the kids? I can, it's not a problem." Kurt replied, his voice sounding sympathetic.

"No, I can handle the kids. You just go back to whatever you were doing." Steph muttered, her thoughts still else where.

"Um okay, I love you Stephanie." He said.

Stephanie inhaled sharply and held her breath. She didn't know how to reply to him. She felt in her heart and mind that he wasn't her husband, even though she had complete proof that he was. Taking care of the children was one thing, but Steph was not ready to start being a wife to Kurt Angle. Suddenly she heard the sound of the baby screaming from upstairs. He had awoken from his nap.

"Kurt I have to go, the baby's crying. I'll see you when you get home." Steph said before quickly ending the call.

Andrew, who was still in the study with Steph, watched as she quickly got up and headed to the nursery. He followed closely behind like a little tail. The baby immediately stopped crying when Steph lifted him out of his crib. He nuzzled his head under her chin. The close contact was soothing to him.

"Are we going to give him a bath, Mommy?" Andy asked looking up at his mother who still was looking off into the distance as she rubbed the baby's back.

"We always give Brandon a bath after lunch." Andrew added after Stephanie didn't answer him.

"Umm, yeah, okay, we can give him a bath." Steph finally answered. She then watched as Andy went over to the baby's changing table and grabbed the blue hooded towel. It was obvious to her that he was used to helping his mother. Steph, carrying the baby, followed Andrew to the kitchen where he placed the towel on the counter.

Stephanie saw the little baby tub next to where Andrew had set the towel on the counter. With one hand, Steph grabbed the plastic tub by its edge and placed it in the kitchen sink. She turned on the facet and turned it to hot, with hopes of the water warming up faster.

Carefully, Steph laid Brandon down on the counter. She stripped him of his onesie and diaper. He kicked his legs and giggled, as if he knew he was going to get a bath. Steph smiled at him as he reached up for her. She picked him back up, this time giving him a little kiss on his cheek. She held out her hand into the water, it was a nice lukewarm. Slowly, sat the baby in the little hammock like structure that the baby tub provided; he began to giggle, loving the feeling of getting wet.

"Here…" Andrew said straining as he held up the baby shampoo as high as he could for Steph.

She took it from him and gave him a smile as if to thank him for his help. She sat the bottle down on the counter next to the sink. She began to run her hands over the chubby little baby, making sure he was nice and wet. She took out the spray hose from the sink and quickly sprayed his head, getting his baby hair wet which caused him to scream out gibberish with glee. She had set the sprayer back in its place on the sink when she noticed that the mark on her arm from the sting earlier was really bothering her. Leaving the water running, Steph stepped away from the baby and into the light of the kitchen window. She examined the welt on the inside of her arm, where the elbow bends. It felt like something was stuck inside it. She knew better because it was a yellow jacket that had stung her and not a bee. Still, the sore really hurt. The mark was really red, perhaps the water had irritated it.

Stephanie jumped as she heard the blood curdling cry of the baby. It was really loud sudden as if a bee had stung him.

"Mommy!" Andrew yelled.

She looked over to see the baby's arms flailing around as the steam from the water rose from the kitchen sink. Steph instinctively rushed over and shut of the water. The baby was beet red; he continued to cry as she picked him up out of the tub. She tried her best to console him as he continued to wail.

"He got burned by the hot water." Andrew said pointing out the obvious to Stephanie as she quickly took the baby over to the towel. She spread the towel across the counter and laid him down on it.

"Oh…" Steph said running her hand across the baby boy's smooth sink. The redness on his chest was beginning to turn white. She hoped it wasn't blistering. She felt so bad. He had gotten scald by the hot water because she was being inattentive. Thank God she had gotten to him quickly, other than his chest, he seemed to be okay.

"No, don't take him over to the hot water again!" Andrew yelled watching Stephanie pick the baby up again and take him back to the sink.

"I have to get cold water on his chest, I don't want him to blister." Steph explained as she quickly turned the faucet to cold and held the baby under a steady stream of cold water. Brandon continued to scream, his little clutching Steph's shirt, holding on for dear life.

"You're hurting him!" Andy yelled on the verge of crying, clearly getting upset by his little brother's obvious pain.

Steph couldn't stand seeing the baby scream and cry under the cold water even though she knew it was best for him. She set him back down on his towel. She put the hood up around his head and lifted him into her arms again. With one are she took a wash cloth and ran it under the faucet till it was complete soaked in cold water. After turning the water off, Steph walked the baby into living room and sat down on the couch with him.

Carefully, Steph pressed the cold cloth on the baby's chest and tummy. She had first thought it was only on his upper chest but now she saw that is stomach was beginning to look like it was going to blister too. Tears steamed down the baby's face as he began to whimper and then cry again.

"I'm so sorry…" Steph said in a whisper as she too started to cry as she looked at the cute little baby's discomfort. She should have known better than to leave the baby unattended in the sink. Why did she leave the water running on hot? Steph had given Aurora a many baths. She had never scalded Aurora.

Why was she so upset about the baby's discomfort? He was supposedly her child but she had no memory of carrying him for nine months or giving birth to him. Anyone seeing a little infant in pain would get upset.

"I'm home, Steph? Why is the baby screaming?" Kurt called out as Steph heard the laundry room door open and then close.

"Daddy, Daddy, come here, Brandon got a burn!" Andrew yelled running to his father in the laundry room.

Kurt quickly walked into the living room and sat down next to Stephanie. She slowly removed the cold compress revealing the red scald marks on the baby's chest and tummy. Kurt inhaled sharply, looking down at his three month old son who continued to cry. Seeing him like this made him upset as well.

"How the hell did this happen?" Kurt asked Stephanie putting his hand on his youngest son's head as he continued to scream and cry.

"I'm so sorry, I was looking at the sting on my arm, I turned my back for one minute…" Steph said through tears as Kurt took the baby from her and held him close. He looked worried. Andrew sat down next to his father as Kurt quickly put a diaper on the baby.

"We should take him to the hospital. I don't know how bad these burns are. I'm glad I came home early. I was worried about you and the kids. You sounded strange on the phone." Kurt said getting up from the couch with the baby.

"Andrew, you stay with your mother, I'm taking your little brother to the hospital to make sure his booboo isn't serious." Kurt said before giving Stephanie a chance for explain herself anymore.

Andy jumped off the couch and ran to where Steph was seated. He climbed in her lap looking for comfort. He was afraid and Steph could tell when she put her arms around him.

Kurt didn't even take another glance at Stephanie before he grabbed his keys and headed out to the garage with Brandon who was still crying. The door slammed shut and Steph was left alone with the four year old little boy who was still clinging to her as he sat in her lap.

Steph felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for what happened to the baby. He had been so sweet and pleasant and she had ruined it by not watching after him like she should have. He was probably going to be traumatized from this experience. Even a three month old couldn't forget the overwhelming pain he must have felt from the hot water.

Stephanie's thoughts about home and her family were pushed out of her mind by the terrible thought of the little three month old having third degree burns. Kurt was probably upset with her. He was probably wondering how she could leave their child because of some trivial welt on her arm. How could she put herself before her own child who was completely helpless by himself?

Kurt didn't return with the baby till later that night. He said nothing as he walked into the kitchen around 8 o'clock.

"The emergency room was packed. Where's Andrew?" Kurt asked, his voice showing signs of his fatigue.

"He's in his bed. Is he okay?" Steph asked walking up to Kurt who was holding the baby.

"He's got minor blisters on his chest and stomach, the doctor said to give him some infant Motrin. He said it will help with the pain. They gave him a dose before we left. The doctor said not to put any clothing on over the blisters for tonight and tomorrow, it could rub and irritate the sores." Kurt replied eyeing his half asleep baby.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." Stephanie said as she began to cry again.

"Shhh, I know you didn't. He's okay. The doctor said you were good to put the cold cloth on him." Kurt whispered putting one of his arms around Stephanie so that she could be close to their child. "I think he's hungry. He was sucking on his fingers earlier." Kurt whispered in a hush soothing tone as he held Stephanie close to him and the baby.

Without hesitation, Steph took the Brandon from Kurt and carried him up to the nursery. She carefully sat down in the glider with him and prepared to feed him.

"Yeah, he was really hungry." She told Kurt as he walked in. He stood over Stephanie their son nursed as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"He's okay." Kurt repeated bending down and giving the baby a kiss on top of his head. "I know it was an accident, okay? The doctor said the blisters should be gone in a day or two, they weren't that bad. Plus, I know you would never intentionally hurt our children." Kurt whispered looking into Stephanie's eyes with sincerity.

"No, I wouldn't." Steph replied in a raspy whisper. She admired Kurt's trust in her. It reminded her of how Paul trusted her with Aurora.

Steph had been caught up in what happened to the baby that she never got to ask Kurt about contact information for Paul. She knew after this long ordeal today, it was not the right time to ask him.

"I'm going to go check on Andrew and then go to bed. Are you okay putting him down for the night?" Kurt asked before leaving.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. I'll get s new diaper on him." Steph whispered looking down at Brandon who was still eating.

Stephanie knew that she could not let anything like that happen again to either one of those children. She couldn't let her own worries about Paul and Aurora come before the safety and care of the two small kids. Instead of day dreaming about her husband and child, Steph would have take on a more hands on approach in locating Paul and their daughter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Stephanie lay in bed with the bed sheets wrapped all around her body. She wore a look of concern, her eyes closed as she toss and turned.

"Paul?...Paul? No…I won't leave you…" Steph muttered in her sleep.

Steph then opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She blinked, trying to take in the dark room. The red digital numbers on the clock read 3:00 AM.

She had dreamt that Paul was screaming for her not to leave. Almost as if he was begging her in tears. She swore she heard Aurora crying in the background. What did this dream mean?

Quickly, Stephanie began to think that possibly the whole alternate life with Kurt Angle was dream. Maybe she had just woken up from the weird nightmare and Paul was right there next to her in bed. Maybe everything was okay.

Slowly Steph moved over to the other side of the bed and felt the face of the man who lay next to her. It was smooth, obviously close shaven and his hair wasn't long at all. It was still Kurt.

"You okay, honey?" Kurt called out in the darkness. He had awoken to his wife's caress.

Kurt was now sitting up in bed too. Steph felt him move in the bed.

"Do you want what I think you want?" Kurt asked in a whisper, this time moving his hand under the covers to her lower half. He started caressing her as he moved even closer and began to kiss her face.

"No…I'm going to go check on the baby." Steph said moving away from Kurt's advances as she almost practically fell out of the bed.

"Well unless you want sex, I'm going back to sleep." Kurt muttered in some what of a joking matter, plopping back down on his pillow as he rolled over to his side of the bed.

Stephanie started to walk toward the nursery in the darkness of the night. She walked cautiously with her hands in front of her, she was afraid of banging into a wall because she couldn't see well. To her surprise, she was easily able to navigate to the baby's room. She entered the dimly lit room and walked up to his crib.

The little baby boy lay on his side, sucking on his fingers, he quickly turned over so he was on his back. His wet mouth formed a smile around his hand when he saw Stephanie. His hand quickly left his mouth as he reached out for her with both little arms. She could make out the blisters on his body. While there were many of them, they didn't look irritated. She was glad to see that the infant was in a good mood, clearly not in any pain or discomfort. Steph wanted to cry seeing how happy the baby was to see her even after she had accidentally allowed him to get scald by the hot water. He still wanted her.

"Are you hungry?" Steph asked in a sweet sounding voice causing the baby to coo as she lifted him out of the crib and into her arms.

As she sat down in the glider and began to nurse, her mind drifted back to the dream she had just had. She tried to recollect every detail. She remembered a very bright light. Paul looking over her and Aurora's distinct cry. They had to be out there some where. Why else would she be dreaming about them? There was no way her mind was simply torturing her with the remembrance of who she knew as her husband and child.

She's train of thought was broken as she felt the baby kicking his legs, almost as if he was trying to get his mother's attention so that she would look at him. She looked down, his little blue eyes were focused on her as he continued to feed. Steph smiled, leaning over the baby she gave him a kiss on his head. Despite his bath that went a rye, the baby had his own sweet smell to him. His hair was very soft, it reminded Steph of Aurora's hair.

Stephanie knew that if it wasn't for this baby and his older brother, she would have definitely left Kurt to search for her husband and daughter. She was starting to feel a bond between herself and the small baby. She felt for him as she did for Aurora. How was that even possible? She didn't have any memory of giving birth to Brandon, yet she felt the connection of mother and child.

Delicately, she traced her finger across the baby's soft chest that was turned to her. She could feel the raised skin where the blisters were under her finger that caused the baby to move a little in discomfort.

She had wanted to go to WWE Headquarters in Stamford in the morning to find out contact information for Paul but with the baby in his condition, she couldn't just pick up and leave him even with her own mother. Maybe she could take the two kids with her.

"Are you going to be okay with them today?" Kurt asked taking one last sip of his glass of water.

It was now around eight o'clock in the morning and Kurt was just about to leave for work. He was a little hesitant about leaving his wife and kids after what had happened yesterday.

"We'll be fine. I'm going to take the kids up to Stamford. There's some paper work I wanted to look at. It's been bothering me for a while." Steph said as she stood in the kitchen holding Brandon in one arm and a bagel I in the other.

"I don't think taking the kids to Stamford is a good idea right now, honey. You know Brandon can't have a shirt on today. The sun coming in from the car windows really won't be good for his blisters. Why don't you just call Shane and have him fax over whatever you need. He's in the office today." Kurt said smiling over at his four year old who was sitting right next to him eating his cereal.

"I guess I could call Shane and ask him…" Steph muttered, thinking about what Kurt said.

"Daddy, can I go to work wif you?" Andrew asked holding his spoon up in the air as he looked over at Kurt.

"I don't think you'd like it there, Andy. It's just a clinic where Daddy helps turn amateur wrestlers pro. You'd get bored sitting and watch." Kurt replied after getting to his feet and carrying his empty plate and glass to the kitchen. He set it in the sink before walking over to Steph.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Kurt said moving close to Stephanie and his baby.

Steph simply nodded as she watched Kurt move in for a kiss. She felt awkward as their lips met. She wasn't used to kissing a man without a beard. She was surprised when the kiss turned out to be open mouth on his part. His tongue entered her mouth and began rubbing against hers. Before she could even back him off it was over and he had moved on to give his baby a kiss on the cheek.

"I want a hug!" Andy yelled pulling down on Kurt's pant leg. He didn't like to be the last member of the family to say goodbye.

"How could I forget my big guy?" Kurt said picking Andy up as he smiled. He gave him a squeeze and a kiss on the head before setting him back down on the kitchen floor.

Stephanie was still taken back by the quick French kiss as she watched Kurt leave through the laundry room door. Once the door closed, Andrew ran into the living room and turned on the TV. Even at the age of four, he had no trouble navigating through the many channels to his favorite cartoon.

Steph was startled by the sound of the phone ringing. She quickly picked it up from its hook on the kitchen wall.

"Hello?" She said, rocking the baby back and forth when he started to get a little fussy.

"Hey Steph, how are the kids."

Steph immediately recognized the voice of her sister-in-law, Marissa. She put the phone between her shoulder and face so that both hands could hold on to Brandon who had arched his back as he cried out.

"Hey Rissa, the kids are okay. Is Shane at work?" Steph asked as she leaved over to the countertop and grabbed a bright red plastic ring and held it out for Brandon to grasp.

"Yeah he left about a half an hour ago. Do you need any help over there? I'm free for the day." Marissa offered.

"That's be great. I'd like someone to talk to other than a four year old." Steph said with a laugh as she walked the baby into the living room.

"Okay, I'll be right over."

Stephanie and Marissa said their goodbyes and Steph turned off the phone and threw it on the couch before lowering the baby onto the soft mat play set. He giggled kicked his feet as Steph made the hanging toys move around. His little hands reached up to touch the them, as he continued to baby talk.

"Andy, watch your little brother while I go get dressed, Aunt Marissa's coming over." Steph said looking over at the four year old who's eyes were still glued to the TV screen.

"Is Uncle Shane coming too?" He asked, not bothering to even look at Steph.

"No, he's working. Just watch your little brother, okay?"

"Yeah…" Andy muttered getting off the couch and going to sit by the baby.

Stephanie went upstairs and quickly undressed. She stopped half way across the master bed room at the full length mirror.

"Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me…" Steph sang to herself as she studied her perfect body in the mirror. As much as she missed her husband and daughter, she could definitely get used to having the perfect body. Motherhood, twice, had obviously done nothing to damage the perfect figure.

After a nice hot shower, Steph quickly slipped on a casual outfit that she was surprised to see the price tag still on. Perhaps Stephanie McMahon-Angle had gone a little bit over board with the shopping. Here were rows and rows of clothing that hadn't even been worn yet.

"Hey Steph, Andrew let me in while you were in the shower." Marissa said as Stephanie came into the living room.

Marissa was sitting on the floor with the kids. She had Brandon propped up in her lap and Andrew was playing with his little brother.

"Hey Rissa, you got over here pretty quick." Steph pointed out sitting down next to her on the carpet.

"We're only five minutes away."

"When did you and Shane move back to Connecticut? Didn't you guys like it in New York?" Steph asked watching Andrew interact with Brandon.

"You know why we moved. After you and Kurt had Andrew in 2003 and moved to Greenwich, we decided that we wanted to be close to family. That way one day when Shane and I have children, they can be close to their cousins. We'd be lucky to have two adorable little boys like Andrew and Brandon."

Stephanie smiled weakly as she and Marissa watched as Andrew repeatedly made his brother laugh with noises and faces he made. Steph couldn't shake the irony. As far as Stephanie knew, Shane and Marissa had two sons, Declan and Kenyon. She wasn't the one with two boys. She had a daughter. There was no logic to what she was hearing.

"Steph, are you okay? Did the baby keep you up all night? Those blisters look like they really hurt. I can't believe what a good baby he is. He's so happy." Marissa pointed out

"No he's been really good for me. He puts Aurora to shame." Stephanie said under her breath.

"What? Aurora?" Marissa looked at Steph as if she misheard what she was saying but then went on. "I've been begging Shane to give up one of the positions he's in at Headquarters. He refuses to let anyone take up some of the slack. I never see him."

"Do you think Shane would have Paul Levesque's contact information?" Steph asked her sister-in-law as she took Brandon from her when he began to fuss.

"I'm sure he would. He's got all the superstars information, even the midcards like Triple H. You remember the shit that guy pulled, don't you?" Marissa said with a chuckle.

"No, what did Paul do?" Stephanie asked. Any information Marissa could give her about Paul would surely help her.

"Back in 1999, when he's DX storyline was pretty much over, he requested a meeting with your dad and the other board members and told your dad that he should retain his spot in the main event. Shane said he was rambling on and on about how he could make DX a heel stable. You know how your dad is about people telling him what to do. Shane said that the very next week, Paul was put on the Sunday Night Heat card, and he's been there ever since."

"Really? That can't be possible…"

"It's true, remember? I think you were managing Kurt when he was champion and your dad had Triple H job to Kurt. It was way before you and Kurt were married; just about when you started dating him in 2000."

"Didn't my dad have a problem with me dating Kurt Angle? I mean, he always did have a policy about not dating guys in the business." Steph asked, Marissa, trying to make sense out of all she was telling her.

"Kurt wasn't just a wrestler. He was an amateur athlete. Your dad thought he was the best thing to happen to the company when he signed. As I remember you were pretty infatuated with him too." Marissa said with a smile looking at her sister-in-law.

"Obviously I was since I married him…" Steph muttered with a roll of the eyes as she started rocking Brandon back and forth when he continued to cry.

"Will you please ask Shane to get me Paul Levesque's contact information? I have some questions I need to ask Mr. Levesque. Dad asked me to."

"Yeah, I can ask Shane. You might want to give him a call and ask him yourself as well. He's so busy with work that if he doesn't get more than one reminder to do something, it's out the window."

"I think I'll do that." Steph said as she was finally getting Brandon to settle down.

"Is he hungry?" Marissa asked watching Brandon sucking on Steph's shirt.

"Yeah, I think so. He eats more than any baby I've ever seen." Steph commented as she got up from the floor and sat on the sofa, beginning to adjust herself so she could feed him.

"I think I need to go back to work. This stay at home thing isn't going to fly." Steph told Marissa as she sat down next to her.

"Really? You would always tell me how you loved being home with Andrew. Is it different now, having two children to take care of?" Marissa asked.

"I don't know what it is…I'm not sure of anything anymore."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"He likes being outside, huh? I can't believe he's able to do that." Marissa commented in amazement as her and Stephanie looked out the kitchen window at Andrew.

He was swinging on the monkey bars of his swing set. He smiled at his mother and aunt as he swung across to each bar. Steph herself couldn't believe the young child's upper body strength as he was able to successfully make it across the length of the swing set to the square platform on the other side.

"Yeah, he's really strong for his age." Steph said still watching the little boy as he started back across the monkey bars.

"How's Kurt liking his new position? Shane told me that the new venture is doing very well."

"I think he likes it. He hasn't told me much about it. It's like I'm out of the loop of what's going on in the company. I don't like it." Steph said grabbing the phone from the counter top.

"Well you know, your office is still at headquarters. Shane and Vince kept it like you had it just in case you want to come back when the kids are a little older." Marissa said watching Stephanie begin to dial Shane's cell phone number.

"Shane? It's Stephanie."

"Hey Steph, I'm kind of busy right now, what's up?"

"I need a favor from you, could you please look up contact information for Paul Levesque?" Steph asked looking over at Marissa who was wiping the counter of the crumbs from Andrew's lunch preparation.

"Why do you need contact information for him?"

"Why does it matter, I just want it. Can you get it for me or not?" Steph said some what annoyed by her brother's questioning.

"All right, I'll see what I can do. Look I have to go."

"Fine, thanks for this…bye."

Stephanie hung the phone back on it's charger as Marissa began to wash out the wash cloth in the sink.

"Oh my God, Andrew just fell!" Marissa yelled looking out the window.

"What?" Steph said as she ran to the window and saw the four year old laying on the ground holding his knee.

Stephanie quickly ran out the near by French doors and off the deck to where he was lying. He was already sitting up, looking at his bloody knee and crying.

"How did this happen?" Steph asked picking up the small child as he continued to cry. His hands grabbed on to Stephanie's hurt as he hugged her from where he was seated on the ground. It wasn't till she looked up that Stephanie noticed how bright the sun was. It was as if she had looked directly at it, her eyes squinted. She was trying to see the rest of the backyard as the light blinded her as if it was only shining down on her.

_"Stephanie, can you hear what I'm saying?..."_

Stephanie quickly looked around the yard, thinking she had heard someone calling her. It had been faint. Even know she only barely heard the voice, she knew it wasn't Paul's. It was unfamiliar to her. She could have just imagined it. She probably hadn't heard anything, especially since Andrew was screaming and crying.

"I fell down and my knee got a booboo!" Andy yelled through tears as Steph carried him back into the house.

"Steph, where are the band aids?" Marissa asked as she watched Stephanie set Andrew on the counter. His knee had been skinned open. The blood made the cut look a lot worse than it actually was.

"There in the third cabinet to your right." Stephanie heard her self say. How did she know her way around the kitchen so well?

Marissa found the box of band aids and quickly set them down next to where Andrew was sitting on the counter.

"Mommy, it hurts…" He cried as Steph grabbed the Neosporin from the band aid box and took its cap off.

"Shhh, Andy, you're going to wake up your brother, he's upstairs sleeping." Marissa said as she quickly wiped the cut clean of blood causing Andy to scream and move away.

"It's okay sweetie, Mommy's going to make your booboo all better." Stephanie heard herself say. This was the first time Steph had ever referred to herself as his mother. It had just come right out of her mouth.

Her words must have been somewhat soothing to Andrew because he began to settle down as Steph applied the Neosporin. Carefully, she put a band aid over his cut before picking him up again.

"Can I hold you, Andrew?" Marissa asked, trying to take the four year old off Stephanie's hands so she could clean up.

"No, I want my Mommy..." Andy told Marissa as he held Steph tightly. His face was still wet from crying as he hid them in Stephanie's shirt.

"I think someone's ready for a nap…" Marissa whispered to Steph so that the little boy couldn't hear.

Steph walked Andrew over to the couch and laid him down. She leaned over and gave him a kiss as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. She then took off his sandals.

"Here's a blanket for him." Marissa said handing Steph the white fleece blanket she found on one of the other sofas.

Stephanie covered the four year old as he turned, trying to get comfortable. His head lay on the soft arm as his eyes began to get heavy.

"Mommy, don't go anywhere!" Andrew whined grabbing Steph's hand as she started to walk away.

"I'm not going anywhere. Aunt Marissa and I are just going to be in the kitchen. How about I put some cartoons on for you?"

Andy nodded, pulling the blanket up under his chin. Stephanie grabbed the remote control and flicked on the plasma TV which was already programmed to Cartoon Network.

"Do you need me to bring anything to the cookout tomorrow?" Marissa asked Steph while they walked back into the kitchen.

"Cook out?" Steph replied thinking she had missed something.

"Yeah, the family cookout we have every Saturday. What do you need me to bring?" Marissa repeated, as she looked at her sister-in-law, awaiting a response.

Stephanie smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She still had no idea what exactly was going on with her life let alone what Marissa needed to bring for a cookout tomorrow. Steph knew that her brother, Shane, would be at the cookout tomorrow. He could give her the contact information for Paul.

She was already starting to miss her husband. While she was beginning to settle down from the shock of waking up to a new family, Steph was still longing for the life she knew, and the husband and baby she loved. Hopefully Shane would be able to give her information about Paul's whereabouts so she could be reunited with him and their little girl, Aurora.

"Kurt, hey, what are you doing home so early?" Marissa asked as she saw Kurt walk into the kitchen from the laundry room. He smiled at Marissa walking up to the two women.

"I decided to come home early. Where're the kids?"

"Andrew and Brandon are both taking naps." Marissa replied, watching Kurt walk up to Stephanie. He placed his hand on her arm and turned her to face him. Their eyes met and Kurt smiled at her moving closer as he put his hands at her waist.

"You okay, baby?" Kurt whispered pulling Steph into a hug.

Steph laid her head on Kurt's broad shoulder, breathing in his sweet smelling cologne. Stephanie had to admit, Kurt looked very handsome. His full head of hair made him look a lot younger.

"I'm going to head home. I've got some housework I'd like to get done before Shane comes home." Marissa said. She could see that Mr. and Mrs. Angle looked to be in need of some private time as Kurt began to rub the small of Stephanie's back with his finger tips.

"Okay Marissa, we'll see you tomorrow at the cookout. Tell Shane it's his turn at the grill." Kurt replied, not taking his eyes off of Stephanie.

Steph stared into Kurt's light blue eyes as the front door closed. The door closing was Kurt's cue as his hands move to Stephanie's to the front of her body. His thumbs rubbed her covered upper stomach as he leaned in close. Their noses touched before Steph pulled her head back.

"Your nose looks different. It's smaller. I thought you broke it." She said trying to change the mood when she noticed the change in Angle's facial features from the last time she had seen him in WWE.

"I never broke my nose."

"But-"

"Shhhhh." Kurt whispered interrupting her from continuing the conversation. Steph then jumped as she felt Angle's hands go up her shirt.

"K-Kurt, I-" Steph began to move away but Angle pulled her close and pressed her lips against his. She instinctively sighed as he passionately kissed her, holding her in his arms like Paul had done so many times before. Steph placed her hand on the back of Angle's head, burying her fingers in his brown hair. She was giving in to the overwhelming rush of pleasure the kiss had brought about.

If Stephanie didn't know any better, she would have thought she was kissing her husband. It wasn't that kissing Kurt Angle was exactly like kissing Paul. The two men were very different. The lack of facial hair was one of the first things Stephanie noticed about kissing Angle. She did however feel her knees begin to buckle as they kissed just like they would when she kissed Paul Levesque. It was if her body believed that Kurt Angle was the man she was in love with. Her mind however, knew better. She couldn't let her odd overpowering physical attraction to Kurt Angle let her forget about who she knew as her loving husband, Paul Levesque.

"Kurt! I think I hear the baby crying upstairs..." Steph said in a hoarse voice trying to catch her breath after breaking the lip lock.

"I didn't hear anything. If he is, he'll go back to sleep…" Kurt muttered before moving back in for another kiss but Steph stopped him.

"He could be in pain. Those blisters looked painful. I'm going to go check on him." She replied removing his hands from underneath her shirt. She realized that part of her bra had been unclipped. Angle smirked as he watched her quickly reach behind and under her shirt to fix it.

"Rain check…" Steph heard Kurt say as she began to ascend the staircase. As quietly as possible, Steph opened the door to the nursery. She had lied to Kurt about hearing the baby cry just to get out of the situation. The room was silent, maybe she could just peek in at the baby. Stephanie walked up to the crib just in time to see the baby lift his head and smile at her.

"You're not supposed to be on your tummy." Steph said to the baby as she took him out of the crib and into her arms. He cooed; bring his soft chubby hands to Steph's face. She smiled and gave his little palms kisses causing him to giggle as she walked in over to the changing table and placed him on it.

"Let's get you cleaned up." Steph said in a sweet voice causing the baby to answer her back in gibberish as he smiled, kicking his feet.

Gently, Stephanie gave Brandon a kiss on his forehead before continuing to change his diaper. As much as she missed her little Aurora and her own life with Paul, things could be worse.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Good morning." Stephanie whispered as she lifted Brandon from his crib. He fussed a little as she sat down in the glider. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

Stephanie smiled down at the baby as he quickly began to nurse the moment she made herself available to him. His beautiful blue eyes stared up at her as she traced her fingers over his soft cheek.

"Hey, I didn't hear you get up." Kurt said walking into the nursery wearing only his briefs. Steph bit her lip as her eyes scanned Angle's hard body. Kurt noticed her checking out his body and he gave her a smirk.

"You know, Andy's already downstairs completely occupied with cartoons. You can finish feeding him, and we could go back to bed. It's the weekend, Stephy. I don't have to go to work." Kurt whispered in her ear as he then began to give her soft kisses on her neck.

"Kurt…" Steph said, trying to take his attention off her neck. She closed her eyes, the warm soft kisses felt heavenly. Steph placed her right hand on Kurt's firm chest and made him back off.

"We can't do this now. I have to finish feeding him and then get a shower. We're having all my family over, aren't we?" Steph asked, trying to make excuses as to why they couldn't be intimate.

"Yeah, they're coming over this afternoon. Steph, what's wrong? We always make love on the weekends."

"I just don't feel like it, okay? I have a lot on my mind. You should go get your shower now, so I can get mine when Brandon's done nursing." Stephanie said looking down at the baby. She didn't want to look Kurt in the face as she rejected him.

"All right…" Kurt muttered before bending down and giving his baby a kiss on his head. Stephanie looked up to see him leave the nursery.

"Kurt…I'm sorry…" Steph called out, she could tell he had hurt feelings. He had already gone back into the master bed room, because he didn't reply to her.

"I think I hurt your daddy's feelings. I've got to find Paul and Aurora. Paul will surly remember us, and maybe then, things will go back to normal." Steph told the baby as he kicked his feet.

As soon as Kurt Angle finished his shower he was able to take the baby off of Stephanie's hands so she could get hers. Steph's showers were the only thing that made her completely relaxed. The water showering her body provided her a form of tranquility in what seemed to Stephanie a never ending dream.

"Mommy, I wanna go to the beach. Brandon and I wanna go to the beach." Andrew said pointing at his little brother who was sitting in the baby swing.

"We can't go to the beach today. It's Saturday, our family cookout's on Saturdays. Maybe we can go tomorrow." Kurt replied as the family ate breakfast at the table.

"I'm gonna show Brandon how to play in the sand." Andy announced with a smile, making his eyebrows go up and down with excitement.

"I think he's still a little too young to play at the beach. Do you want some more eggs?" Steph asked Andrew as he set his fork down in his plate.

"No, I wanna go play outside." The little boy said. He started to get out of his chair but Kurt grabbed on to his pajamas, pulling him back.

"Woah, not so fast, you and your brother need to get your baths and get dressed." Kurt said sitting his son back down into the chair.

"Stephy, if you want to take Andrew upstairs and give him a bath, I'll wash the baby after I clean up the table." Kurt offered, he began to pick up the plates from the table and walked them into the kitchen.

"Okay, come on Andrew, let's get you ready." Steph said as she led Andy to the stairs. The little boy was nothing short of enthusiastic during his bath time.

He had about ten different bath toys floating around in the tub as Stephanie knelt at the side of the tub and gave him a good scrub. It was a successful bath, considering Andrew didn't get scald by hot water like his little brother. After some negotiation, Andy and Steph agreed on a Spiderman t-shirt with khaki shorts. The ensemble was complete with the addition of his Spiderman sneakers.

The morning went by quickly and the afternoon came with the arrival of Vince and Linda. They both seemed to enjoy the company of their grandchildren for it didn't take long for Linda to scoop up Brandon into her arms or for Vince to find his way outside where Andrew was playing.

"Mom, what's keeping Shane and Rissa?" Stephanie asked her mother while she began to take the food from the refrigerator. Linda was standing in the kitchen with her, still holding the baby.

"They're on their way. You know how hard it is for Shane to pull himself away from his work. He's got his hands full with those two job titles."

"All the more reason for me to take my job back…" Stephanie said under her breath.

"This little guy looks very handsome in his little blue romper. Your blisters must be feeling all better." Linda said in a loving voice to her grandson who cooed. She had not heard her daughter's comment.

It was the ring of the doorbell that turned their attention to the front of the house. Stephanie had her hands full with the food preparation, so Linda took Brandon with her to answer the door.

"Steph, my little nephew's getting really fat. Think maybe you're going a little overboard with the breast feeding?" Shane asked with a chuckle as he walked into the kitchen carrying Brandon.

"Shane, babies are supposed to be plump. When he starts crawling and then walking he will slim down." Linda explained.

Brandon began to cry and Shane did his best to comfort him. Steph eyed the group of family members that was forming around Shane to try and get the baby to stop crying.

"What did you do to my baby, Shane?" Kurt said with a laugh and he took the baby from his brother-in-law. Brandon's crying ceased as his mouth began to gum in father's clothed shoulder, his little face still wet with tears.

"Where's Dad?" Shane asked walking further into the kitchen as Marissa took her spot next to Stephanie and began to help her.

"He's outside helping me set up the poker table. I'm going to win the money back that you took from me last weekend, McMahon." Kurt replied with a smirk as he casually rocked his son in his arms.

"I didn't take the pot, Dad did. You're both going down." Shane said following Kurt out to the back deck.

"They're playing poker now? I thought it was Shane's turn to cook the burgers and hot dogs." Marissa said looking out the window at the three men sitting down at the outdoor poker table.

Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked out the French doors to her back deck. With her hands on her hips she approached the table as the guys were setting up the card game.

"Shane, when are you going to be ready to cook the food? Marissa and I are almost done tenderizing the burgers." Stephanie announced as Kurt passed off the baby to her before picking up his hand of cards from the table.

"We'll cook the burgers later. With this hand I can't lose." Vince muttered as Andrew ran over to his grandfather causing Vince to instinctively hide his hand.

"Oh yeah Vince, my four year old is going to tell you my hand." Kurt said sarcastically as Shane began to crack up.

"Shane, did you get that contact information I asked for?" Stephanie asked switching topics.

"No, sorry, I forgot. It was a busy day at the office. I released four superstars today"

"Four? Who'd you axe?" Kurt asked curiously before Stephanie could reply.

"Rob Conway, Too Cold Scorpio, Vito, and that diva Ariel… Talk about a drain on the business. Actually, I like to call it house cleaning." Shane said with a chuckle as Vince nodded looking at his hand.

Stephanie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew damn well that had made the decision to let those superstars go. It was her call. She was the Executive Vice President of Talent and Creative Writing. Wasn't she?

"I don't know how smart you're decision to hire those Hollywood writers was." Vince muttered.

"Dad, I told you. They have knowledge of the WWE dating back to the 90s." Shane quickly replied as Stephanie looked back and forth between her brother and her father.

This was all wrong. Everything they were discussing were decisions and actions that she herself hand carried out. Why was Shane getting all the credit for them?

"I think it's time I come back to the office and take over the creative department. Shane's strong suit is global media." She blurted out. All the guys at the table turned and looked at her.

"Steph, you've got two young kids. You couldn't possibly take on half my workload." Shane said with a chuckle.

Kurt could see Stephanie's anger begin to rise as he got up from his chair and stood by her. Her eyes were fixed on her brother, she couldn't believe how egotistical having two high powered positions had made him.

"Steph, it's okay, honey. If you really want to get back into the company, we can work something out." Kurt whispered in her ear as he rubbed the small of her back.

"Come on, Kurt, sit down. Steph can't put in the hours to take over the creative department. She needs to stay home with the kids." Shane muttered placing his first bet.

"God damn you Shane! That is my position! I earned it! I started in this company as a fucking accountant for Sales! Don't you dare say that I couldn't manage MY department! YOU can't even do one simple favor for me!" Stephanie screamed out causing the baby to cry as she lunged forward, getting in her brother's face.

"Jesus Stephanie!" Shane said, surprised at how much he had pissed off his sister. Andrew quickly ran to his father, he was also uneasy with the turn of events.

"Mommy?"

Stephanie turned around to see the four year old on the verge of tears. He was holding out his arms toward her.

"Steph, come on now, I was just kidding around." Shane whispered as Stephanie turned around and took Andrew from Kurt. She put him on her right hip as she held the three month old on the other.

"Go to hell…" She said with a sneer before walking back into the house.

"Oh come on! Steph?! I was just joking around!" Shane called out as Kurt sat back down.

"Maybe I should go check on her…" Kurt muttered.

"Let's just continue the game." Vince commanded as he called Shane's bet. Angle then folded before Shane laid out his cards with a smile.

"Steph, what happened?" Marissa asked as she saw Stephanie walk into the kitchen in a huff, carrying the two children. She sat Andrew down on the countertop and Linda took the baby from her.

"Shane's an ass…" Steph muttered looking out the kitchen window at the guys.

"Tied to the whipping post! Tied to the whipping post!"

"God damn it! The hell with this shit!" Vince yelled, throwing the cards on the table and getting to his feet as Shane continued to sing.

Stephanie shook her head; she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Vince throwing himself around as he walked off the back deck and into the back yard.

"What's wrong with Pop?" Andrew asked looking out the window from where he sat on the counter.

"I'm going to have to go to headquarters tomorrow. My egotistical brother forgot to get me the contact information I asked him for." Stephanie announced to Linda and Marissa.

Marissa and Linda looked at each other in confusion before Marissa went to the French doors and opened them.

"Shane, get these burgers and hotdogs! Grill them! We need to eat! Come on, move your ass!" Marissa yelled out.

_"Steph?"_

"What?" Stephanie answered back looking over at her mother.

"I didn't say anything." Linda said looking at Steph strangely.

Steph swore she had heard a voice calling her. It was a familiar voice, but she couldn't make out who exactly it was. It sounded far away, as if someone was calling her from the end of a long tunnel.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Are you gonna leave me?" Andrew asked. He looked worried as he looked into his mother's eyes. Steph stared off into space, her mind trying to make sense of the familiar whisper.

"No….I won't leave you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Steph, Marissa, this dinner is most definitely makes up for the late lunch." Kurt announced holding up his wine at the head of the table.

"I concur." Vince added looking over at Stephanie who sat next to Kurt. She was holding Brandon in her arms. A blanket was draped over him as he breast fed.

Stephanie gave her father a smile and then looked across the table at Marissa who smiled back. She was taken back by this experience. Partly because it seemed to be just like the weekend get-togethers Steph had hosted with Paul. Aside from Shane's unusually large ego and the replacement of Paul with Kurt Angle, everyone acted like themselves.

"Mommy, I'm all done." Andrew said causing Stephanie to jump when he placed his hand on her arm to get her attention. Steph turned to her left just in time to see the little boy begin to get out of his booster seat.

"Hey, where are you going? That plate isn't anywhere near empty." Kurt said from the head of the table to the right of Steph. Andrew narrowed his eyes and extended his bottom lip as he slowly got back into his chair. He then folded his arms and gave his father a look before giving Stephanie his cutest sad puppy dog face.

Steph felt her heart melt as his beautiful icy blue eyes gazed up at her. She knew those eyes from every single time she looked in the mirror. The nose was the same. In fact, the only aspect of that child that did not reflect her was his hair. He didn't just have Kurt's hair color; even the texture of the hair was exactly like Kurt's. It wasn't till this very moment that she actually saw how much Andrew resembled both her and Kurt Angle. This was too weird. Stephanie still wasn't sold on the idea that she had carried and given birth to both children. Sure there was solid evidence that she some how did, but she did not even have any recollection of conceiving them with Kurt.

"Mommy, I don't want anymore food…" Andy whined on the verge of tears.

"Will you just take a couple more bites, for me?" Steph asked.

She could see Andrew thinking about it. Slowly he nodded his head and picked his fork back up. Stephanie rubbed his back with her free hand as he ate just a little bit more at her request. The rest of the dinner went by very slow. Everyone did their fair share of talking; reminiscing about memories Stephanie knew to be true as well as ones she didn't.

Her head was spinning when she slipped into bed. She had put the baby to bed while Kurt tucked Andrew in. She had changed into her nightgown in the bath room. She didn't feel comfortable being naked in front of Kurt. Finally, it was time to get some rest.

"I know Andrew wants to go to the beach tomorrow but I heard that there was a chance of rain." Kurt said as he took each leg out of his pants.

"I'm going to go up to Stamford. There's something I wanted to look up at the office." Stephanie replied turning around to fluff up the soft pillow in bed behind her.

"What do you have to look up at the office? It's been a while since you've been there." Kurt muttered as he took off his shirt and got into bed.

"I want to start getting back into the business. You know Shane's managing my department." Steph said as she looked over at Kurt.

"What about the kids? I mean, Andrew goes to preschool usually during the week days. We only let him stay home when I took my new job. What about Brandon though? He's only three months old."

"I can take the baby with me to work. I've done it before." Stephanie muttered laying her head down on the pillow.

Aurora had always been with Stephanie when she was working. Steph didn't believe in leaving her with a nanny. If she could do it with Aurora, who was a fussy baby, she could do it with Brandon.

"You haven't done it before. You never worked since we had Andrew." Kurt quickly replied as he sat up in bed, looking over at her in confusion.

"Well I'm going back to work. I've already decided. Brandon will be coming with me." Stephanie said as if she was ending the conversation.

"Fine baby, do whatever you have to do." Kurt whispered before turning the bedside lamp off.

As Stephanie laid in the darkness she wondered if she would be able to get contact information on Paul. Surely she would have some sort of contact database on her computer. Marissa had mentioned that Vince had kept her office just like it was when she left to be a stay at home mother. She couldn't wait to contact Paul. She missed him and Aurora so much.

"Where did you put the breast milk you pumped?" Kurt asked while following Stephanie around in the kitchen with the baby.

"It's in the refrigerator. I only pumped one container because I'm not going to be gone that long." Steph replied as she grabbed the handbag from the kitchen counter.

Stephanie had decided to go to Headquarters as early as possible. Kurt and her decided that he would watch the kids while she did what she needed to do.

"Mommy, where are you going?" Andrew asked, like his father, he too was following Stephanie around as she went for the keys on one of the hooks by the door to the garage.

"I just have to make a quick run to WWE Headquarters, honey. You stay with Daddy."

"No, I wanna go with you! I wanna go with you, Mommy! Why can't I go with you?" Andy whined beginning to cry as he watched Stephanie open the door to the garage. He rubbed his right eye as he pulled on her slack pants with is left hand.

"Fine, you can come." Steph said quickly. She took him by the hand and led him out into the garage. Stephanie hit the unlock button on the key set that she had grabbed. A desert sage metallic 2008 Lexus RX unlocked with the flash of its head lights. Andrew took the cue and climbed into the passenger side backseat. Steph helped him get buckled into his safety seat before getting into the car herself. The seat was perfectly set. Even her mirrors were already adjusted. This must be her automobile. The jet black Escalade had to be Kurt's.

"Mommy, can we go visit Pop when we get there?" Andy asked as the Lexus turned right on Greenwich Avenue.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. I have to find something in my office first." Steph replied. She noticed that rain was beginning to bead on her windshield so she turned on the windshield wipers.

"It's raining outside." Andrew commented looking out the window as the car turned right onto Arch Street. They were heading for Interstate 95 North.

The little boy seemed to keep himself occupied looking out the window, watching as the Lexus merged onto the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike. The only sound being made in the car was that of the windshield wipers swiping back and forth over the windshield. The sound of the rubber blades scrapping across the windshield sounded almost like a working machine as the rain began to pick up. It was obviously a brand new automobile she was driving.

_"Beep…Beep….Beep….Beep….Beep….Beep…Beep…"_

Stephanie's eyes quickly scanned the instrument panel of the Lexus, thinking that it was the source of the beeping noise that she heard. Her eyes then fell on the radar detector that was attached to the dashboard. She quickly hit its power button hoping to turn it off.

"What was that?" Andrew asked curiously as he strained his neck to try and see the front of the car.

"It was just a radar detector. I turned it off." She explained, keeping her eyes on the road.

It was a short ride to WWE headquarters. Quickly, Stephanie helped Andrew out of the car and grabbed his hand, running with him to the entrance of the corporate building. Steph breathed a sigh of relief for the building was exactly the same as the last time she was there with Paul. At least something in her life was familiar. She wasted no time walking toward the elevator

"Good morning Mrs. Angle." The receptionist promptly said as Steph and Andrew walked by the reception desk.

Stephanie gave the woman a weak smile before continuing toward the elevator. She was almost power-walking, dragging Andrew along by the hand. He was busy looking around the lobby; he obviously hadn't been to Headquarters before or at least not that much.

"I wanna push the button!" Andy announced as they approached the wall of elevator doors. He pointed his right hand the up button and pushed it a few times.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened revealing the corporate floor. Stephanie quickly made her way to where she believed her office to be. Surprisingly, it was there. From a glance, it looked exactly like she remembered it. Andrew plopped in one of the chairs as Steph sat behind the desk.

Without wasting time, she booted up the computer. As Windows XP began to load, Stephanie's eyes gazed on a picture on her desk. It was a picture of her and Kurt. The picture was obviously taken before a show. They were in an empty arena; the WWE ring was directly behind them as they stood at ring side. It was obviously during the "McMahon-Angle Era". The attitude era WWE championship was draped on Angle's left shoulder and Stephanie was holding her Women's championship. They were both smiling as Steph pointed at Kurt's shining belt just like she had done for Paul so many times before. Angle was in his signature red, white, and blue singlet with the straps down. Stephanie was wearing a matching dress that looked like it was based of the American flag. She looked happy. Just as happy as when she had pictures taken with Paul. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. When she saw pictures of herself and Kurt as a couple, it made her question who she really was. Did she even know?

"Mommy, can we go see Pop now?" Andrew asked swinging his feet as she sat in the chair in front of her desk.

"Not right now…" Steph muttered, now concentrating on her computer screen. She was able to successfully log into the company data base and quickly searched the company contact list.

"What the hell?" She muttered looking at the contact list. She had found Paul's name in the list of current WWE superstars but there was no contact information provided for him. This couldn't be right. Every WWE superstars' contact information was stored on the company database. Even the developmental wrestlers that were training in OVW were in the database with complete contact information. What was going on?

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Andy asked, he got out of the chair and walked over to Stephanie. He could see that she was physically upset. She held her face in her hands. What was she going to do? It was almost as if someone was keeping her from contacting Paul. How was she going to find him and more importantly, her child Aurora?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Dad, I'm telling you, there's something wrong with the database. Contact information is missing for some of our superstars." Stephanie said into the phone as she skillfully balanced it between her cheek and shoulder as she held the sleeping three month old close.

"Steph, I'm sure it's just a glitch. You haven't been on that computer in about four years. I don't know why you're troubling yourself with it."

"Did you not hear me yesterday at the cook out? I want my job back. I can not sit around this house all day taking care of these two kids. That's not my style and you know it. I need to do something constructive." Steph quickly replied as she began to pace around the nursery holding the chubby infant as he still slept soundly up against her chest.

"You are doing something constructive. You take great care of your boys. You're a great wife. Kurt tells me all the time how much he loves you. Why do you want to sacrifice time with the kids for time at the office?"

"I'm not going to be sacrificing any time with the kids. Andrew usually goes to preschool during the week and I plan on bringing Brandon with me to the office. Look, would you and Shane please start including me in the company business? Just because I have two children to look after doesn't mean I care any less about our company."

"I know Steph, I think it would be great if you started back at the office. That is if bringing the baby would work out for you. You and Kurt are coming to the function we're holding tomorrow night, right?"

"What function?" Steph asked, gently rubbing the baby's back as she waited for her father's reply.

"You know, for the amateur to technical superstar branch of the company Kurt and I set up. We're invited the entire roster along with everyone on the corporate level. Didn't Kurt tell you about it?"

"No he didn't…Look, I got to go. I'm sure you have to get back to setting things up for the PPV. I'll talk to you later Dad….Bye."

Stephanie ended the call and tossed the phone in the nursery glider before exhaling sharply. She couldn't believe how hypocritical her father could be. How could he preach to her about the importance of being with your children over work? Stephanie only had a handful of childhood memories spent with her father at home. He had always been busy with the company. Her mother, Shane, and nannies practically raised her. Whatever time she spent with her dad was special.

The function that her father mentioned made Stephanie believe that there would be a chance of her seeing Paul. If she could just see him; just look into his eyes, she was sure he would be in love with her as much as he always was. Their love was real. Stronger than any weird alternate reality that she was caught in.

"You okay?"

Stephanie turned her attention to the doorway of the nursery. She saw Kurt as he began to creep into the room. He was trying to be somewhat quiet because of the sleeping baby. Steph bit her bottom lip as he ran his hand through her hair once he approached her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why didn't you tell me about the function tomorrow?" Steph asked moving away from Kurt as she carefully placed the sleeping infant in the crib.

"I did. We talked about it a couple of days ago. Remember, we decided we were taking the kids with us. Baby, you know I don't keep anything from you." Kurt whispered in her ear as she turned around to face him. He then gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

"I'm sorry, I just feel really frustrated. I couldn't find what I was looking for at the office. I feel really shitty." Steph said rubbing her head with her hand. Her biggest fear was that her life would never go back to normal. Would she be able to find Paul tomorrow night and reclaim their life together.

"Is there something I can do to make you feel better, honey?" Kurt asked in a nice soothing hushed voice as he began to rub her back with his right hand. With his left he began to trace the lining of her jaw with his finger.

His warm touch was comforting. Stephanie involuntarily moved towards his hand, closing the space between them. She closed her eyes. It felt good to know that she was being touched by a man that truly loved her. But still, it wasn't Paul.

"Just hold me." Stephanie muttered as she began to cry. Kurt immediately took her into his arms. Steph put her arms around Kurt's neck as the hug tightened. She nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing deep the aroma of his cologne. Stephanie didn't mind his tight grip on her, in fact, it made her feel safe.

"I love you baby…" He whispered over her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear, causing her to hold him closer to her.

"I wanna hug too!' Andrew exclaimed as he ran into the nursery and clung onto Stephanie's legs. He had been watching them in the doorway. Andy's out burst caused Brandon to wake up and cry.

"Andrew, what did I tell you about yelling when the baby's asleep?" Kurt said removing his hands from Stephanie so she could get the crying baby from the crib.

"Sorry…" Andy muttered looking down at the carpet. His excitement had been diminished by his father's scolding.

"It's fine. He'll go right back to sleep." Steph commented in a whisper as she rocked the baby in her arms. Sure enough, the baby immediately fell back asleep allowing Steph to put him back in the crib.

"I don't want you going into your brother's nursery when he's asleep." Kurt told his son when the family was downstairs in the living room.

"Kurt, he's fine." Steph said pulling Andrew into her lap as they sat on the couch.

"Yeah, he's a good boy. Andrew, Daddy just wants Brandon to get a good nap. I didn't mean to get upset. You understand, right?" Kurt asked looking over at him as grabbed the remote control and held it close like it was a piece of gold. He simply nodded as Steph ran her hand through his hair.

"Daddy, can we watch Judgment Day? Please?" Andy asked holding the remote control out to Kurt for him to put it on.

"Pay-Per-Views don't come on till later. It will be on after you go to bed." Steph explained to the four year old.

"We can watch Sunday Night Heat it's on right now." Kurt added taking the remote from Andrew and turning on the TV.

"I thought we took Sunday Night Heat off the air and streamed it over the internet." Steph said as she watched Kurt search for the channel.

"No, USA picked it up along with RAW, remember? Even though it's just a bunch of midcards and PPV hype, it can still pull in the ratings." Kurt commented putting the program on. "Oh looks like we've got a filler match."

Stephanie's eyes widen as she saw Paul on TV. He was in the ring with MVP. What was he doing on Heat? Paul was above that. He was supposed to be on the PPV card; if not the main event than the second to last match on the card.

"Oh, Triple H and MVP, Andrew, you sure you want to watch this. It's going to be boring." Kurt said as he watched his son get to his feet, his eyes glued on the TV.

"MVP's gonna win! Triple H is stupid! He can't beat anyone!" Andrew yelled at the TV as he jumped up and down watching the action unfold.

"He doesn't get a push because his ring work sucks. Levesque thinks he should be entitled to be in the main event. Vince sure set him straight." Kurt said with a chuckle watch MVP continue to beat the hell out of Triple H.

"He's good on the mic." Stephanie muttered watching Paul take bump after bump, selling MVP's dominance in the ring.

"Yeah he was okay. I've seen better." Kurt replied putting his arm around Steph.

"Oh shit! Did you see that?" Stephanie yelled the moment she saw Paul thrown into the steel post by MVP. He taunted at the camera as Paul held his head. "Do you think he's okay?"

Stephanie moved to the edge of her seat, her eyes glued to the screen as the referee knelt down by Paul asking him if he was okay.

"Oh look! He's bleeding! Cool!" Andrew said jumping up and down.

"Andrew! That's not nice!" Stephanie barked.

"He's all right. It's obviously a razor blade cut. I bet that was Vince's idea. He and Shane sure do pull out all the stops for ratings. Even in the secondary programs like Heat. It's over, he's got him beat."

"He pinned him already? That wasn't long." Andrew said in a disappointing tone as he walked back to the couch and plopped down between Kurt and Steph.

"The matches aren't that long, son. The show is mostly for PPV hype." Kurt explained changing the channel.

"Andrew I think it's time for bed." Stephanie said getting up from the couch. She looked back at the four year old sitting next to his father.

"Do I have to?" Andrew whined looking over at his father for a second opinion.

"It's eight o'clock, it's time for bed. Come on, I'll get you read and tucked in." Kurt said picking up his son after he stood up. Realizing that Kurt was taking Andrew up, Steph sat back down on the couch. She watched them leave as she picked up the remote control.

Seeing her Paul on Sunday Night Heat jobbing to MVP was definitely a heart wrenching experience. Her heart ached for him as she saw how hard he was trying to sell the match even though it was on Heat. Not only did Kurt Angle blow off Paul's efforts but her supposed child also had no respect for him. She wished she was with Paul. She missed her daughter. Taking care of little Brandon only reminded her of Aurora.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked as he passed Stephanie on the staircase.

"I'm going to take a bath. I don't feel so well." She replied not bothering to even stop to talk to him. She was in quite a hurry to get in what seemed to her to be a very inviting Jacuzzi tub. There had to be somewhere in that house that she could get some tranquility.

Stephanie sighed as she sank into the warm bubbly bath water. The combination of dim lighting as well as the steady jet streams allowed Stephanie to forget about her illusive husband and child and their replacement with Kurt Angle and the two boys. She closed her eyes, breathing in deep the sweet smelling aroma that the lit candles around the tub provided.

"You look comfortable."

Steph opened her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Kurt walk into the master bathroom. He smiled, walking to one side of the Jacuzzi. He was right behind Steph as he knelt down on the tiled floor. She said nothing as she looked over her shoulder at Angle.

"Is there room in there for me?" Angle whispered before giving Steph a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Kurt, I just want to relax. Okay?"

"Maybe I can help you…" Kurt quickly replied picking up a teal washcloth from the near by towel basket. He dipped the cloth into the water. Steph said nothing as she watched him wet the cloth. Slowly, he brought the wet washcloth to her shoulder blade and squeezed, allowing the warm water to stream down her back. Steph let out a sigh as she felt his lips on her neck while he continued to use the cloth to rinse the warm water on her back.

"Kurt…Please, I need some time to myself. I have the worst headache in the world." Stephanie complained moving away from his touch.

"Fine…If that's what you want. I'm going downstairs." Angle muttered let the wash cloth fall into the tub before simply getting to his feet and walking out of the bathroom.

She could tell that Kurt didn't like being pushed away. Steph felt bad for repeatedly distancing herself from him. For some reason beyond her own knowledge, Kurt Angle truly believed that he was her husband. He was in love with her and frequently wanted to show it. Why would God allow this to happen to her? Why did she have an overwhelming attraction to a man who she knew wasn't her husband? Why did everyone except her believe she was Mrs. Kurt Angle?

After soaking for a bit longer, Stephanie went right to bed. She must have slept all night because she didn't even remember hearing Kurt come to bed. When she awoke, Kurt's side of the bed was empty. She was all alone in the master bed room. Without hesitation, she quickly got out of bed and donned her cloth robe that was in her walk-in closet. She entered the nursery to find an empty crib. Where was the baby? Quickly she ran downstairs and into the kitchen. She exhaled at the sight of Andrew eating cereal. She then saw Brandon sleeping in the baby swing.

"Where's your father?" Stephanie asked Andrew walking up to him.

"Daddy left for work. He said you have to drop me off at school. He's busy." Andrew replied before taking a bite of cereal.

"Great…What's your preschool called?"

"Cowan Center…Don't you remember?" Andy asked setting his spoon down in the bowl.

"Cowan Center…I've heard of that. It's on Greenwich Academy's campus…Okay, I know where that is." Steph muttered to herself pacing around the kitchen. Andrew looked at her like she was acting nuts. He pushed his cereal bowl away from him and got out of his chair running toward the living room.

"Andrew, where are you going? You're still in your pajamas. Let's get you dressed so I can take you to preschool." Stephanie called after the four year old.

"I wanna watch cartoons!" He whined grabbing the remote control.

"No, we don't have time for that. It's almost 8 AM, we need to get going. Now come on, let's find something for you to wear." Steph said as she took Brandon out of his swing and into her arms.

"I wanted to watch cartoons…" Andrew said under his breath as he reluctantly followed his mother upstairs to his room.

Andy's room was elaborately decorated. It was obvious that the theme of his room was of the recent Disney film, Cars. Every memorable character from the movie was easily spotted on his wall. Andrew's bed frame was a custom made car that looked like the main character.

"Hey, no, we don't have time for you to play. We've got to get going." Steph said pulling Andrew away from his sea of toys on the floor. It was easy to see that the child never wanted for anything. The room itself was testimony of his parents' dedication to make their son happy…Supposedly her and Kurt.

After what felt like eternity, Steph managed to get out of the house with the two kids. Getting two small children into an automobile was a chore in itself. Steph used to think getting Aurora in the car was a challenging task, until now. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she climbed into the driver seat of the Lexus. Right after she turned the ignition key to start the car, Brandon began to wail. Steph slammed her head back against the headrest, looking into the rearview mirror of the car.

"Brandon, here's your binky…" Andrew said popping the pacifier in his brother's mouth. The baby's crying immediately subsided as he sucked fiercely on the Nuk.

"Thank you Andrew, you're such a good big brother." Steph said putting the car in reverse. It was a short drive to the Greenwich Academy campus. After finding a parking spot, Steph got the kids out of the Lexus; first starting with Andrew and then the three month old. Brandon leaned his head into Stephanie's face while she held him, power walking the whole way into the preschool building as Andy ran closely behind.

"Hi Andrew, we were all wondering when you were going to come in."

Stephanie smiled at the older staff member as she re-adjusted her grip on the baby and her handbag. Andrew quickly ran off into the playroom filled with all the other children.

"Not even so much as a good bye…" Steph commented as she started to walk away.

"Oh Mrs. Angle, you'll need to sign your son in." The staff member reminded her pointing at the attendance booklet on a small table. Stephanie traipsed over to it and picked up the chained pen that was attached to it. Without thinking, she signed next to Andrew's name: Stephanie Levesque.

"Oh shit, I'll have to cross though out, I signed the wrong last name." Steph said as she began to cross out the Levesque. The lady looked at her like she was crazy. Stephanie thought that she might be right. Never before had she been so confused about her own identity.

Signing "Stephanie Angle" made Steph feel the same way she first did when she had just started the McMahon-Helmsley storyline. She felt like she was acting trying her best to portray the part of Mrs. Kurt Angle when she knew for sure that she wasn't really Kurt's wife. Everyone else had to be crazy. This new life couldn't be real. No amount of signing the name "Stephanie Angle" could convince her other wise.

"Mom, there's got to be more information on file for Paul Levesque." Stephanie said into her home phone as she sat in her living room feeding the baby.

"Stephanie, it's the strangest thing. For some reason our database is missing information on Mr. Levesque. Did you tell your father about this?"

"Yes! Dad completely blew me off. You know what, it doesn't matter, I'm sure Paul will be at the function tonight. I'll have a chance to speak to him there."

"What do you have to talk to him about? I mean, I know you want to get back into the business, but Steph, Paul Levesque is hardly a top guy anymore. You know that his hay day was back in the 90s. We only keep him around because our long time fans still remember Degeneration X. You don't have any storyline ideas for him do you?" Linda asked, completely intrigued by her daughter's inquiry about Levesque.

"I just want to talk to him, Mom, is that okay? Do I need Dad or Shane's permission before I do that?" Steph yelled into the phone, causing the nursing infant to flinch.

"No, of course not, Stephanie…Look honey, I'm sure you've got your hands full with that adorable little angel. I'll see you at the function. Don't you dare leave my grandbabies at home. This is a family affair."

"Yeah…I'll see you later then…Bye."

As Stephanie hung up the phone, she couldn't help but wonder why everyone looked down on Paul Levesque. Why had he fallen so far down the superstar status ladder. Surely a simple disagreement between Paul and her father wouldn't sink Triple H's career. The way everyone closed to her had been describing Paul was completely opposite of what Stephanie had every known. It was if Paul Levesque was being described as a completely different person. He couldn't be. He was her husband and the father of their baby. Wasn't he?

"Mommy! Daddy got me ice cream on the way home!" Andrew announced running into the living room. His mouth was covered in chocolate ice cream. Angle obviously wasn't worried about the child spoiling his dinner.

"Hey, Andy, why don't you go wash off your face. You've got chocolate ice cream all over it." Steph directed following Andrew back into the kitchen.

Stephanie caught sight of Kurt. He was wearing a well pressed business suit. She was seeing him from the back as he scanned the open refrigerator before closing it. Steph could he had seen her when he turned around and walked to the kitchen window. He said nothing as he gazed out into the back yard.

"Kurt…" Steph called out as she slowly walked up behind him. He didn't answer her as he continued to stare off into the distance. Steph wet her lips, searching her mind for the right words to say. She knew that he was still upset with her after what happened in the bath room last night. Stephanie didn't know how to even start explaining her odd behavior.

"I'm really sorry…About last night…"Stephanie whispered, placing her right hand on his thick forearm. She pulled the arm to her, forcing him to turn and look at her. Their eyes met. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was about to cry.

"Something's wrong Kurt. I haven't been feeling like myself lately." Stephanie confessed, her face showing the anxiety she had been carrying around since the day she woke up as Mrs. Angle.

"Obviously since you refuse to touch me…." Angle quickly replied looking down at the kitchen sink and then back up at her.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. I just-" 

"Don't you love me anymore, Steph? Don't you care about us? Our whole life together?" Angle asked, each question flowing out consecutively.

"Of course I care about our life. I've been doing my best to take care of the kids, I-"

"That's just it! You've been taking care of our kids…but what about us? What about our time? We've never gone a weekend without making love…Even when you were pregnant…And this is not just about sex. When is the last time you told me that you loved me? I tell you that I love you every single day." Angle whispered with an intensity.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Both Stephanie and Kurt looked over at Andrew who was standing in the entrance to the kitchen. He looked concerned. His eyes darted back and forth between his parents. Stephanie could tell he was uneasy. In fact, he looked to be on the verge of tears. How long had he been standing there? Did he even understand why his father was so upset? Neither she nor Kurt said anything as Andrew watched them, awaiting an explanation.

"I love you…I'm sorry I haven't been acting like myself. I really do love you…us…our kids…" Steph whispered to Kurt as if she was telling him a secret. She felt his hands move to her waist. Slowly he pulled her into his arms. She felt him exhale, as if it were out of relief.

"I love you." He whispered back before moving in for a kiss. Steph took a quick sharp inhale before she felt his lips meet hers. She allowed him access to her mouth, letting him take complete control of their kiss. She opened her eyes for a moment to see if Andy was still watching them. He was no longer there. Perhaps the defused argument was enough for him to return to his room. Steph heard herself moan as the kiss intensified.

She tried to keep her mind on Paul and Aurora as she felt herself succumbing to the mind blowing kiss. She couldn't keep it together. Everything was in the moment. Her hands touched his face as she kissed him back, matching his passion. She could feel herself slipping into the role of Mrs. Kurt Angle. The scary thing is, it wasn't that hard. She didn't want the kiss to end. Everything felt good: his embrace, his lips, and his tongue all contributing to the symphony of passion that was continuing to intoxicating her body with each passing second.

"Mommy, Brandon's crying!" Andrew yelled down from the second floor landing that over looked the vestibule. His announcement caused Kurt to break the kiss. Allowing Stephanie to collect her senses as she stared off into space, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"You better go check on the baby and get ready. The functions at five, we don't want to be late." Kurt whispered as he pulled on his suit. Fixing any ruffles that might have been created by their moment of unbridled passion.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Aww, aren't they both just precious in their little suits!" Linda gushed viewing her two grandsons.

Stephanie had found herself at the company function with Kurt and the kids. As usual, the McMahons were seated at the front of the banquet hall on a stage that overlooked all the other tables. Steph ignored her mother's ongoing praise as her eyes scanned the large room for Paul. Batista, Randy Orton, John Cena; those were some of the superstars she was able to spot in the sea of well dressed superstars. She was so busy searching that she didn't even notice her mother taking the three month old from her grasp.

"There he is…" Steph muttered allowed as she spotted Paul in the very back of the room. He was sitting alone at one of the tables. His dirty blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. He had his signature beard that she loved on him. It was her Paul. Stephanie had to contain herself. She wanted to jump off the stage and run to him. She didn't want to cause a scene. This was her chance. She had found her husband and hopefully her child. Suddenly she wondered, what should she say? Would he automatically recognize her as his wife that he hadn't seen in days? Could he explain to her why she was being called Kurt Angle's wife? This was her chance to find out.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Without hesitation, Steph began to make her way through the crowd of people that filled the banquet hall. There were constantly superstars trying to make small talk with her as she walked by them. Many told her how much they had missed her backstage since she started having children. Finally, after several small conversations along the way, Steph was only a few feet way from Paul.

"Paul…" Stephanie said as she walked up to the man she believed to be her husband. He turned to look at her. Her eyes caught sight of a small white bandage across the right side of his forehead.

"What do you want?" Paul replied after looking her over for a moment. She tried to study his gaze, seeing if he had any emotion behind his eyes. His face looked indifferent, almost blank.

"Don't you know me…" Was all that escaped Steph's mouth as her eyes remained fixed on the man she thought she knew.

"Your Stephanie McMahon-Angle…of course I know who you are. Why are you even over here?" Paul asked, looking at her as if she had taken leave of her senses.

"I wanted to talk to you, I-"

"What do you want? You're not even working in the company anymore. I hear you've at home playing house. Look, if Shane has something to say to me. You tell him to come say it to my face. You got that Betty Crocker?" Paul said cutting her off before she could even attempt to explain.

Stephanie felt like she was going to cry. Paul was being a complete asshole and she didn't even know why. While he looked like the man she was in love with, he was acting completely different. It was like he was a whole different person.

"Why are you being this way?" Steph asked, her eyes filling with tears that she quickly wiped away.

"What do you want? Seriously, I'm trying to enjoy myself, if that's even possible in this company. Are you having some kind of a mental situation? Are those brats of yours giving you grief?" Paul asked, look at Steph in confusion. He didn't know why she was wasting his time.

"Paul….where's Aurora?" Steph asked, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe he was making fun of her. The Paul she knew would never do that to her.

"Who's Aurora?" Paul asked, looking at Stephanie like she was nuts. A manly looking woman with black hair sat down next to him. Stephanie's eyes widened, she knew exactly who the woman was. It was Joanie Laurer. She was looking at Steph, obviously wondering why she was there at their table.

"Stephanie, I must say you look amazing for having two children. So skinny…" Joanie commented followed by a chuckle that Paul echoed.

Stephanie's heart sank as she saw Paul put his arm around Joanie's waist as they sat together at the table. He was with her? It couldn't be true. Paul had ended his relationship with Joanie Laurer before he and Steph became a couple. How could Paul not know their child? He had loved Aurora. Like her, his whole life had been his family.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked Steph when he walked up and saw the look on her face. Stephanie wiped away any reminisce of tears as she felt Kurt's hand on her back.

"Angle, you might want to get your wife to see a shrink. I think staying home tit feeding your kids has fucked up her head." Paul said shaking his head at Stephanie before rolling his eyes. Stephanie's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock at Paul's crudeness.

"You know Levesque, you've never been able to keep your mouth shut. Maybe that's why Vince kept you out of the main event. I don't like the way you're talking to my wife." Kurt said pulling Stephanie close; he didn't like seeing her upset.

"Your wife was the one who came over here. Why don't you McMahon-Angles stay the hell out of my business? The only reason I stay in this company is because I love this business." Paul explained as Laurer hand rested on Paul's suit as she gave Stephanie a dirty look.

"Steph, come on babe, let's go back to our table…" Kurt whispered in Stephanie's ear as he took her by the hand. Steph slowly nodded and with Kurt Angle, turned her back on the man she had thought was her husband.

She didn't dare look back at him. Seeing him with Joanie Laurer was enough to make her throw up. She wasn't ready to accept the fact that Aurora didn't exist. Paul acted just as clueless as Kurt did when she asked him about her baby. Aurora had to be somewhere. Aurora Rose Levesque was a real child. Stephanie had given birth to her only ten months ago. She had spent many sleepless nights taking care of her. How could she not be real?

"Stephanie, where were you? This little guy has been crying his eyes out for you." Linda said holding Brandon out to Stephanie as she approached their table.

Steph didn't reply. She simply took the baby into her arms and rocked him back and forth which quickly soothed him. As the baby rested his head against her chin, Stephanie was looking off in the distance at Paul.

"Hey Mom, is Paul Levesque married to Joanie Laurer?" Steph asked still watching him from afar.

"Not that I know of, I believe they have been dating for many years. Who knows if they will ever get married. I don't think Paul Levesque is the marrying type from what I've seen of him." Linda answered back watching her daughter sooth the baby to sleep. The constant chatter of superstars did not inhibit the baby from falling asleep.

"He's being such an asshole…" Steph muttered as the baby's eyes began to open and close, fighting sleep.

"That's because he is an asshole. Always has been, always will be." Shane chimed in as he walked up to his mother and sister. He had obviously been listening to their conversation and decided to add in his two cents.

"Everyone sit your seats. I'm going to kick off this event…" Vince said into the microphone on the podium with his loud booming voice.

"We are here tonight in celebration of World Wrestling Entertainment's newest venture. WWE's own Olympic Gold medalist, Kurt Angle, came to me with a vision. He wanted to set up a program that would allow all the talented amateur wrestlers the opportunity to become a WWE superstar. We put our heads together and we made it happen. I would now like to ask Kurt to say a few words about our new venture."

Kurt smiled as he got up from his seat next to Stephanie and Andrew. He fixed his tie as he walked over to the podium and gave his father-in-law a hug. This surprised the hell out of Stephanie because as far as she knew, Kurt Angle had left WWE for TNA. Her father was pissed at him. None of this made any sense. Huge spot lights came out of no where and began to pass back and forth over the stage. Stephanie squinted each time the light shined over her as it past back and forth. The lights finally dimmed as Kurt began to speak.

"Thanks Vince. It's a real honor to be standing here tonight at the helm of this great program that we put into place. My one goal that I hope to achieve with this program is to produce technically sound wrestlers for this company. I want to help create the wrestlers the likes of Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, and even myself. With this program in place, our company can only become stronger in the long run. This venture will further secure the future of World Wrestling Entertainment. Oh it's true, it's damn true!" Kurt exclaimed with a smirk, nodding his head with a smile on his face as the audience of superstars began to chuckle.

Stephanie couldn't help but smile and clap along with the rest of her family. Kurt's speech was so full of charisma. Angle was so excited about his new program. He looked very handsome standing with her father at the podium. Her father was patting him on the back as Kurt gave the crowd of his fellow superstars the thumbs up. He walked back to the table and immediately gave Steph a peck on the lips before sitting down next to her.

"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." Andrew said leaning over toward Steph so she could hear him.

"Can Daddy take you? I'm holding your brother." Steph replied looking down at the sleeping baby.

"No, I want you to take me…" Andrew whined shaking his head as he pulled on the bottom of Steph's halter top.

"Steph, I'll take the baby." Linda quickly offered holding out her arms.

Stephanie carefully passed the baby to Linda before getting up from her seat with Andrew. He wasted no time running ahead of her into the sea of superstars that were standing around talking. She quickened her pace, trying to keep up with Andy who was quickly navigating his way through the crowd.

"Andrew, don't run!" Steph called out just in time to see Andrew run right into Paul. The boy fell backwards as if he had slammed into a brick wall. Paul looked down at him with an angry gaze.

"Andy, are you okay?" Steph asked running up to the child. She helped him to his feet as he rubbed his eyes. He was on the verge of crying. Hitting into Paul caused him to a have a nasty spill. Paul's eyes never left Andrew. He made no attempt to ask if the child was okay.

"You should apology when you run into someone. What are you some kind of wild animal? Judging by the way you look, I'd say you were." Paul commented as he chewed a piece of gum continuously. The tears began to run down Andrew's face as he looked up at Steph, his eyes wide showing that he was uncomfortable. Stephanie instinctively picked up to four year old.

"What's wrong with you? He's only four years old." Steph said to Paul while Andy hid his eyes in her halter top.

"I don't like kids." Paul replied giving Stephanie a blank stare. "My sister has kids. All they do is whine and bitch. They're like dogs but only more expensive."

"You're not Paul. You're not the man I fell in love with…" Steph muttered as she started walking away but Paul quickly grabbed her by her left arm.

"Ah!" Steph shriek as she felt Paul's fingernail digging the top of her forearm as he jerked her back toward him.

"Mommy!" Andrew cried out, terrified by what was taking place.

"Stop this! What the hell are you talking about?! If you're trying to say that we've ever had anything, than you're seriously fucked up in the head. Leave me alone! I've got enough to deal with! I do not need this!" Paul yelled in Steph's face causing her to start crying as Andrew tightened his grip around her neck, petrified. Quickly Steph jerked away from Paul's grasp and ran to the rest room.

"Mommy! I want Daddy!" Andrew cried out as she sat him down on the bath room counter. His face was wet with tears as he continued to cry. Steph took a moment to look at her arm where Paul had grabbed her. She saw a cut on the inside of her right elbow. A little bit of blood formed in the center of her antecubital. It stung really bad, who would have known Paul's fingernail could have done so much damage to her soft skin.

How could that be Paul? Stephanie asked herself as she rinsed off her painful cut inside of her elbow with water. Everything about that man was completely out of character of the man she knew as the love of her life. Seeing the face of the man she loved while he spoke to her in such a terrible way was more than Stephanie could bear. He really did think she was crazy. What if she was? Was it even possible that she had simply fantasized her life with Paul? Could the husband and daughter she loved so dear just be an illusion she had created? She had to find out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Stephanie watched from the bedroom doorway as Kurt carried the sleeping Andrew. He gently placed his son on the single bed and pulled off the four year old's shoes. Andrew stirred in his sleep as Kurt took off his little tie. He draped the tie over one of the peg wall hangers that displayed the name "Andrew" in bright colored wood.

"Where's Mommy?" Andrew asked half asleep as he squinted in the lit room before closing his eyes again.

"I'm here sweetie." Stephanie heard herself quickly answer back, stepping further into the room. Her response felt so natural. She bent down and gave the young child a kiss on the forehead.

"We have to get him in his pajamas. Did you already put the baby down?"

"Yeah, the baby's asleep in the nursery. If you want I'll get Andy in his pjs." Steph whispered gentling brushing Andy's soft brown hair with her hand.

"Are you alright? I'd love to get my hands on Levesque. Is your arm okay?" Angle asked bringing his hand to her right arm. Stephanie lifted it and showed him the cut.

"I don't understand why he's being this way…" Steph muttered looking down at the small puncture.

"He's always been that way. Your Dad never liked his character. That's why Triple H never had the main event again after '99. I think he takes his frustrations out on us, our whole family. He's never liked me. He thinks I just got where I am in the company because you fell for me." Kurt explained in a soft tone, so he wouldn't wake Andrew.

"I know, I've heard all this before…I still don't understand what's going on. Something's wrong, Kurt. I think I need to see someone." Steph confessed looking at the carpet floor.

"See someone?" Kurt asked as he lowered his eyebrows. He didn't' understand what she was getting at.

"I think I need to talk to a professional. I'm so lost right now with every aspect of this so called life-"

"Whoa Steph, what are we talking about here? You aren't making much sense. Look, when you finish getting Andrew tucked in, you should come to bed. I think you're over tired. It's been a long day." Kurt whispered, closing the gap between Stephanie and him.

Slowly, Steph nodded and gave him a weak smile. He obviously did not understand what she was trying to say. How could she expect him to? Would her supposed husband of five years really take her seriously if one night she blurted out that she didn't know who the hell she was? Of course he wouldn't. In fact, he would probably think she was crazy. It would be best if she attempted to put her questions about conflicting realities aside for a good nights rest. Tomorrow she would be able to reproach her dilemma. Maybe her mother could refer her to someone she could talk to. A psychiatrist could possibly have a logical explanation of what she had gotten herself into. Perhaps simply talking about some of the stresses she had been coping with between work and motherhood could give the doctor the reason for her recent radical life change.

Steph helped Andrew into his pajamas with care. He was completely wiped out; Steph had to dress him like he was a baby while he just lay there asleep. Once she had his pjs on him, she lifted him a bit and slid him under the bed sheets. Andy yawned and shifted to his side so that his left cheek was pressed against his colorful cloth pillow. Stephanie planted left hand on the pillow leaning down to give Andrew a kiss on the cheek. His skin was soft, almost as soft as baby Brandon's. Steph then tucked the sheets up over him one last time before she left the room and left it in complete darkness.

"Where're you going?" Kurt asked Steph when she grabbed her nightgown and was on her way to the master bathroom.

"To change…" Steph muttered stopping in her tracks and looking back at him.

"In there? Why? You changed in there the last couple of nights. Since when are you shy being naked in front of me?" Kurt asked with a smirk as he moved closer to her.

Her eyes darted down her the edge of her dress as Angle began to lift it a bit as he caressed her smooth right leg, lifting it up slightly. Steph looked back up at him, wide eyed as he flashed her a naughty smile. He then set her leg back down and went to the back of her dress, his fingers playing with the zipper.

"Kurt, please, I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth. I'm tired and I want to go to bed." Steph said aloud as Kurt was invading her space, rubbing his nose against hers as he pulled her close.

"Okay…" He whispered moving his hand to her backside as he leaned in for a quick kiss before retreating from her.

Stephanie watched as Kurt began to get undressed. He must have accepted the fact that she was not in the mood for any intimacy. After all, this wasn't the first time she had refused him. The look on his face caused her to feel a hint of guilt. She could see his point of view. To him she was his wife. The woman he had made two children with. She was the one he had vowed to spend the rest of his life with. This whole situation wasn't fair to either of them.

After a quick change into a selected nightgown in the dimly lit bathroom, Steph pulled back the covers on her side of the bed. Kurt was already in bed, watching her as she gracefully slid in. As she pulled the covers up to her chin she felt Kurt shift in the bed. Looking over she saw that he was now facing away from her. His muscular back and the back of his head was all she saw of him.

"Turn out the light, would you?" Kurt muttered, speaking of Stephanie's bedside lamp that was turned on, giving the room light.

Steph reached over and turned the lamp off, leaving the master bedroom in complete darkness. It was quiet. This was an awkward silence for each of the past days Kurt would say good night to her before they went to sleep. Stephanie wished her Paul was there. Not the asshole she had met at the function earlier that night. She missed being held by him. Paul had always been big on cuddling in bed. She just missed the togetherness.

"Kurt…." Steph whispered in the darkness. She waited for a response as she turned on her side, facing his back.

"What?" He muttered back, not bothering to turn around in bed to face her.

"Will you hold me? Just hold me?" Stephanie asked, her voice sounding like a raspy whisper as she began to get choked up. She almost wanted to beg him cuddle her. She hoped that in the blanket of darkness, she would be able to find comfort in his arms.

A few seconds went by before Stephanie felt Kurt shift in bed and slowly inch closer to her. Just as she hoped, he was gentle, extending his arms out to her, allowing her to nuzzle up close to him. Her right hand rested on his hard chest. Her fingertips feeling a small nest of chest hair as his hard torso rose and fell. Around her body, she felt his thick arms wrap around her. She gave a sigh as she instinctively nuzzled her head in Kurt's neck. Steph breathed deep. The reminisce of cologne filled her nostrils. She heard herself begin to sob, as her mind dwelled on her lost husband and child.

"Steph, what is it? Please help me understand why you're upset. I want to help you. I love you baby." Kurt whispered; his voice shaky. He was obviously upset by his wife's meltdown in his arms.

"I'm completely in the dark about everything. I'm tired waiting for my life to go back to the way it was. I need some clarity. I have to find out what's wrong with me."

"Do you think psychiatry is the answer? You could just be blowing things out of proportion. Remember when we had Andrew, you had a few periods from hell that made you miserable, but that all passed."

"No, this isn't like that. I'm going to see a psychiatrist." Steph stated, she had already made up her mind of what she wanted to do.

"All right, if that's what you want to do. You know I'll support you no matter what you decide to do. I just want you to be happy." Kurt whispered before giving her a kiss on her forehead.

Stephanie could tell from the sound of his voice that he really did love and care about her. She couldn't believe that he knew how she liked to be held. Like Paul, he didn't smother her, she felt completely at ease in his arms. She appreciated his caring nature so much that she wanted to thank him. Gently she felt with her right hand to find his face. She smiled in the darkness as she softly kissed his lips, having no trouble finding them with hers as she caressed her hand on his cheek. He didn't try to over power her. He simple let her kiss him. When she broke the kiss, she laid her head on his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall as his heart beat quickly. For the first time since she had been put into this whole ordeal, Stephanie was able to sleep peacefully through the night.

"Mom, why does it matter why I want to see a psychiatrist, I just do." Stephanie said to her mother who was visiting early the next morning.

"You don't need to see a physiatrist, your one of the most well adjusted woman I know. You have an amazing handsome husband, and two beautiful children. Look at you, honey, you just had a baby three months ago and you're in terrific shape. Do you know how many women would love you be you?" Linda asked, almost as if she was giving her daughter a pep talk.

"Mom, I just want someone to talk to. I'm confused about so many things right now and I think it would be best to get an educated outside opinion on the matters." Steph explained looking down at Brandon who she was feeding.

"Well if you feel that's what you need. When your father had his affairs, I saw someone. Just someone to talk to like you want to do." Linda admitted, looking down at the white carpet of the living room.

"I would like to go today. Can you please watch Brandon for me? I already pumped breast milk and I would need you to pick Andrew up from preschool around noon." Steph said looking over at her mother who looked to be in thought.

"Sure, I'd love to watch my grandsons. You should get going right now, I'm sure if you go early enough they could squeeze you in."

Stephanie took her mother's advice. She wasted no time getting a shower, blowing her hair dry, and then getting dressed in a nice dress. She wanted to look her best; completely put together when she unloaded onto the shrink all her bizarre problems from the past few days. Completely decked out in makeup, Steph walked into the office waiting room. After speaking with the receptionist she learned of an opening appointment slot that she immediately accepted.

She sat in the waiting room for what seemed like forever. Stephanie didn't even know how she was going to begin. She could only imagine what the psychiatrist would think of her crazy tale about waking up one morning as Mrs. Kurt Angle. How would she be able to explain to the doctor her ordeal without getting her chart written as crazy?

"Stephanie McMahon-Angle?" A middle aged woman called out as she entered the waiting room. She was well dressed, looking the part of a professional. She wore a pair of glasses and her hair was neatly pulled back in a tight bun. Stephanie stood and walked toward her.

"That's me. Thank you for fitting me in on such short notice."

"That's fine, I'm Dr. Mott. Shall we go in and sit down?" She said holding her hand out toward the wooden doors that presumably lead to her actual office. Steph smiled politely and entered the open door.

The room was somewhat spacious, unlike the waiting room, the walls of the office were mostly bare except for the doctor certificates of Dr. Mott. A granite desk was present to the left of the room, while the other side provided ample sitting space. Two plush comfortable looking chairs and one plush lounging chair for those who prefer to lay down during a session. Stephanie felt a little awkward decided where she should sit. She decided on the closest chair. Dr. Motts followed and sat directly across from her in the other chair. Both she and Stephanie crossed their legs, as Steph waited for her to continue.

"What can I help you with Mrs. Angle?" Dr. Motts asked fixing her glasses with her right hand.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know how to begin. When you hear what I've been going through you'll probably think I'm crazy." Steph said with a nervous laugh before swallowing hard.

"Oh no, I never diagnose my patients delusional on the first visit." The doctor answered back with a smile.

Stephanie's shifted in the chair. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable. She had never been to a psychiatrist. Despite what many onlookers would think about her and her family, they were amazingly adjusted. Or at least she thought.

"That was a joke…" The doctor said with a nod.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm a little out of sorts as of late."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I know this is going to sound crazy but it's the truth. I don't remember this life. I don't remember being married to Kurt Angle or having children with him. I remember being married to Paul Levesque. We had a daughter….Aurora Rose. It's like I woke up one morning and I was married to Kurt and had two children with him. Paul thinks I'm crazy but I know what the truth is. I know what's real." Stephanie explained in a low voice. She was almost at a whisper. She could believe how outlandish her story sounded. Dr. Mott just sat there listening to what she had to say; her face remaining unchanged.

"Well, that explains why you are not feeling like yourself. Let me make sure I understand what you are saying. You believe you had another life where you had a completely different immediate family. Where were you when you first discovered that you were no longer with Paul and Aurora?"

"I woke up in bed in the master bed room of the Angle home."

"Is it possible that this supposed life with Paul and Aurora was simply a dream that you awoke from? Sometimes dreams can be very realistic."

"No, that's not possible. If it was a dream then why do I not remember being Stephanie McMahon-Angle? I know that I was married to Paul and we had a daughter."

"Okay…Can we talk about Kurt? You say that you have children with him? How many children?"

"There's two sons: Andrew and Brandon. Andrew's four and Brandon is only three months old."

"Do you feel any connection with either child or even your husband?"

"Well, I actually do feel a maternal bond with both kids. I even find myself attracted to Kurt. That's why this is so confusing. It's like everything is telling me that I am really his wife and the mother of his children but I can't let go of my life with Paul. Paul and I were real."

"Have you spoken with Paul? What does he think about all of this? Does he remember having a life with you?" Dr. Mott asked fixing her suit a bit as she changed sitting positions in the chair.

"No…In fact he's quite the opposite of how I remember him being. It's almost like he wasn't even the Paul I married. He didn't even know who our daughter was when I asked him about her."

"Have you ever thought about going to the hospital where Aurora was born and asking for a copy of her birth certificate? Something as small could confirm your beliefs of her existence."

"I should do that. I know they will have her on record." 

"Okay, well in the mean time before our next visit I would like you to look for some kind of memorabilia at your home with Kurt. Perhaps a photo or a home movie can spark some memory of your life with him. Sometimes people can go through a stressful event in their life. An accident of some kind can leave a person with a form of amnesia. Helping yourself fill in the blanks can only help you understand why this is happening to you. I would like us to meet again at the end of the week."

"Okay…I really want to get to the bottom of this."

"So do I…I think we can do this together. We'll take this one step at a time. I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to help you start feeling better." Dr. Mott said with a smile.

Leaving the doctor's office Stephanie felt like a weight was beginning to be lifted from her chest. She had been keeping all of her confusion to herself since it had all started and finally telling someone made it seem less of a burden. She didn't want to waste any time. She was going to go to Greenwich hospital. They were going to have a record of Aurora's birth. Knowing that Aurora did exist would not only give Stephanie hope of being reunited with her but also confirm Steph's sanity. The life she knew with her Paul and Aurora was real. It had to be.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Stephanie raced into Greenwich hospital. Those who observed her would have thought she was there for some kind of a medical emergency the way she power walked to the main desk. She spoke before the woman at the front desk could even ask her if she needed assistance.

"Where can I find birth records? I want to see about getting a copy of a birth certificate for my ten month old daughter." Steph explained, setting her handbag on the counter of the front desk.

"Well if she's less than a year old we should still have a copy of her birth certificate on file. I could look it up in our system right now for you. Can you give me your child's name please?"

"Yes, it's Aurora Rose Levesque." Stephanie replied, dictating the name as clear as she could.

She waited patiently as the woman typed away on the computer, her eyes scanning back and forth viewing the screen.

"I'm not finding a baby by that name. Can you give me your name? I can try and look her up by your name. We always put the mother's information in the baby's chart. What's your name?"

"Stephanie McMahon-Levesque." Stephanie said quickly. The name naturally flowed out her mouth. She waited while the lady typed some more.

"Well it was…" Steph added under her breath with a shake of her head. She felt like a head case because of the situation she was in. Stephanie was ready for all of it to be over.

"No, I'm not finding anything under that name. Are you sure your child was delivered here? If she was we would surely have a record of her."

"She's not in there at all?" Stephanie asked, she could feel her throat beginning to close up as reality began to sink in.

"I'm sorry, we don't have any record of a Aurora Rose Levesque being delivered at this hospital. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Stephanie paused for a moment before speaking. She remembered what Dr. Mott had told her to do this week. She needed proof.

"Yes, could you please look up another baby? His name is Brandon Eric Angle. He was born here three months ago."

"Yeah, this baby is in the system. I can't print a copy out for you. I would need his mother to provide identification and consent. Then the cost is twelve dollars."

"Oh well, I am his mother. I have my id with me." Stephanie said as she began to rummage through her handbag and then in her wallet. The woman looked at her suspiciously when she finally gave her the driver's license that read "Stephanie McMahon-Angle" with her picture on it.

The woman took the card in her hand and looked back and forth between it and Stephanie over and over again. Steph's eyebrows raised waiting for the woman to give consent of her request to acquire the birth certificate. A few clicks and Stephanie heard the sound of a printer start up. A few seconds later, the woman behind the desk grabbed a sheet of paper and set it on the counter.

"Okay, that will be twelve dollars please."

Stephanie laid out a ten dollar bill along with two singles which the woman quickly took from her. Steph muttered a thank you and proceeded to leave the hospital with the paper in hand. Her eyes scanned the document as she read its contents:

_This certifies the birth of Brandon Eric Angle born at Greenwich Connecticut Hospital on February 20__th__ 2007. Sex: Male Weight: 8 lbs. Father's Name: Kurt Steven Angle Mother's Name: Stephanie McMahon-Angle. No. of Certificate: 1132 Signed Bryant Ridger Connecticut Commissioner of Health._

Stephanie couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had to. The copy of the certificate was indeed genuine. She could see the commissioner's signature along with a seal of authenticity. The document was real. This was all real. Stephanie's hope of finding her daughter was completely shattered when the woman in scrubs behind the desk told her that Aurora Rose Levesque didn't exist.

Stephanie felt numb. She was finding it hard to believe that there had been no record of her daughter. She wondered how it could be possible that she simply hallucinated having a child. A child she had loved and nurtured for ten months. How could this be? Dr. Mott would have to explain that to her.

Steph was in a haze the whole ride home. Her mind was a million miles away when she pulled into the driveway of the Angle home. Parking the car in the garage right next to Kurt's H2, Stephanie brushed her hair away from her face. She took a moment to collect herself before getting out of the Lexus. Stephanie took her time walking toward the door to the house.

"Hey babe, how did it go at the physiatrist? Your mom said you were in a rush to go." Kurt said, meeting Stephanie in the kitchen as she walked in from the laundry room. He was holding Brandon who was a bit fussy.

"It was okay." Was all that escaped Steph's mouth as she took the fussy infant from Angle which made the crying subside. Kurt watched her closely as she walked aimlessly around the kitchen, rocking the baby in her arms.

"Mommy, I made this for you." Andrew announced walking up to Stephanie with a piece of white construction paper. "It's our family."

Stephanie took the paper in her hand and viewed the abstract drawing of what she could make out as a stick figure family of four. Each figure was labeled with big jumbled letters above it: Daddy, Mommy, Andrew, and Brandon.

"See, you're holding Brandon." Andrew said pointing out the small circle with lines coming out of it that represented his little brother. He was smiling up at her, awaiting her praise. The picture somehow made her feel better, knowing that the four year old child saw her as not just part of his family but his mother. It was a small glimmer of happiness in what had been a dismal day thus far.

"That's very nice…I love it." Stephanie replied in a whispered to the child as a single tear streamed down her face.

"Mommy, why you crying?" Andy asked reaching his hands up to touch Stephanie's mid thighs. This wasn't the first time he had been worried when seeing her cry. For only being four years old, Andrew was a very caring child.

Stephanie gave a weak smile and slowly bent down giving Andrew a hug with her free arm that wasn't holding the baby. Andy quick threw his arms around her neck, giving her a good squeeze as Kurt approached them.

"Steph, you okay? What's wrong, honey?" Angle asked, taking Steph by the hand a lifting her into an upright position. Gently he pulled her into his arms for a hug as they cradled Brandon between them.

"I've had a long day. I just want to go lay down." Steph whispered, she was trying to gain her composure after she had started tearing up by Andrew's love for her as his mother.

"Well you want to feed Brandon before you go lay down? He hasn't eaten in a few hours." Kurt replied watching his infant son grab hold of Stephanie's shirt.

"Okay, I'll go feed him and put him down." Steph said moving away from Kurt as she took the picture Andrew had drawn and put it on the frig with a magnet. He smiled and jumped up and down, watching Steph then leave the kitchen with his little brother in tow.

"Hey Steph, what are we doing for dinner?" Kurt called out for her to hear as she ascended the staircase.

"Do what ever you want for dinner. I'm not cooking anything. I'm going to bed." Steph called back down stairs from the second landing. Eating was the last thing on her mind and she wasn't in the mood to play "June Clever" in the Angle household.

Holding baby Brandon in her arms as he fed, Stephanie couldn't stop thinking about Aurora. She didn't understand how she had lost her little girl. That night had not been out of the ordinary. Other than feeling tired and falling asleep in Aurora's nursery, nothing really diverted from her normal routine. Something had to have upset her reality. Why else would she have woken up to a new life?

Brandon's blue eyes flashed as he blinked them open and closed. He was perfectly at ease in Steph's arms as he suckled on her like any hungry infant would. Stephanie kept eye contact with him. Breast feeding Brandon was the most bonding Stephanie had done with another person since she had left the life she knew behind. Though she didn't have any recollection of having Brandon, he was in fact hers. A legal document told her so. He was her youngest child and his existence completely depended on her.

"Mommy's going to figure everything out. I promise." Stephanie whispered as she leaned over the baby and kissed his soft forehead. Now that she knew that these were in fact her children, she was determined to function at a high enough level to take care of them, giving them the love they needed. It wasn't their fault she had been put in this predicament. Andrew and Brandon were both innocent parties to the bizarre circumstance.

After the baby had fallen asleep, she gently laid him down in his crib. She stared down at the sleeping infant for a moment, trying to see any resemblance of herself and the little baby. Perhaps he was too young to look like her. She was already sure Andrew favored her in the face.

The king sized bed in the master bed room provided Stephanie with little comfort as she toss and turned in it's sheets, trying to forget the day's earlier events for a night's rest. Finding out that Aurora did not exist in this new life she had found herself in made Steph feel so depressed and hopeless that she had no problem with taking to bed at six o'clock in the evening. The room was quite though she could hear the faint sound of Andrew's voice and the sound of him running around the downstairs while Kurt asked him to keep it down. Her head was throbbing as she replayed her visit to Dr. Mott and her hospital visit over and over again in her head. Her forehead wrinkled as she closed her eyes tight, determined to escape it all with sleep.

"Aurora…" Stephanie muttered aloud before opening her eyes. The room was completely dark. She must have finally fallen asleep. Steph slowly felt with her hand next to her, Kurt was in fact next to her asleep in bed.

"Aurora?" Steph whispered in the dark again as she heard the sound of her ten month old daughter crying. She was completely sure it was her daughter. It was coming from another room in the house. Steph quickly got out of bed, moving as quickly as she could through the darkness toward the bedroom door. She found the door knob with her hand and opened the door. As if she was moving in slow motion, Steph felt herself almost drifting through the hall toward the first door on the left. It was the nursery where she could hear Aurora's crying coming from. Her heart raced as she grabbed the door knob and twisted it. The door opened to Brandon's dimly lit nursery. Steph entered the room, hearing Aurora's crying intensify.

"Aurora, where are you?!" Steph screamed as she began to get upset, looking around the Angle nursery in a panic state. Her eyes scanned the room in all directions. Brandon's crib was empty. Where was she?

"_Shhhh…It's okay princess."_

Stephanie knew the voice immediately. It was the voice of Paul Levesque. The man she thought was her true husband. It sounded like he was whispering to Aurora. Where was he? Where was their baby? Steph moved further into the room, trying to find where in the nursery Aurora's cry was coming from. Her eyes found a white basinet sitting by the window that she had not seen before. Aurora's crying was coming from there. Steph ran over to the basinet. In it seemed to be a completely swaddled baby moving a bit in the basinet. Quickly, Steph began to unwrap the pink blanket from the covered little body.

"What?!" Steph gasped as she pulled the last of the blanket from the basinet. She was hoping to find her little ten month old girl but was completely baffled by what she found. Nothing…the basinet was completely empty. As if like magic Aurora had vanished along with her cries.

"Aurora!" Stephanie screamed as her head shot off her pillow. Her eyes were wide open and filled with tears as she found herself in the darkness of the master bedroom. A second later she felt Angle shift in bed next to her and flick on his bedside light.

"Steph? Are you okay? Baby, what the hell?" Kurt said, his eyes squinting as she looked over at Steph who was breathing heavy. Her face was dripping wet from her tears as well as the cold sweat as she cried softly in her hands.

"My baby…"

"The baby's fine. He's safe in the nursery. Andrew's fine too, he's asleep in his bed. Everything's okay, honey, nothing's wrong. The kids are fine. You just had a nightmare." Angle whispered in her ear before giving her a few light kisses on her sweaty neck. He was trying his best to console her at three in the morning.

"My baby's gone…" Steph sobbed looking to Kurt as the tears continued to flow. She rubbed the small puncture on her inner arm as it ached while her chest rose and fell rapidly.

"No, no baby, both our babies are fine. We're all okay. Lay back down with me." Kurt whispered in a calm low voice as he pulled Steph into his arms, lieing on his side of the bed. He reached over and flicked off his bedside light leaving them in darkness once again.

Stephanie could tell Kurt had already drifted back off to sleep as he held her close in his muscular arms. She however was wide awake from the vivid dream she had just experienced. Never before in her life had she ever had a dream so real. It was like she had really heard Aurora's cry and her husband's voice soothing her. She felt like she had come so close to finding her little girl but once again, she had vanished without a trace.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Stephanie remained wide away in the darkness of the master bed room. She had managed to wiggle out of Kurt's arms when he had fallen back asleep. She could hear the sound of rain hitting the roof as she stared at the ceiling. She would never be able to get back asleep. Steph wasn't sure if she wanted to. Stephanie couldn't get over how she felt when she found the white basinet empty in her dream. It pretty much summed but how she felt at that very moment…Empty. Slowly, Steph scooted out of bed so she wouldn't wake up Kurt again. She had decided that there was no way she would be able to fall back asleep so lying in bed was useless.

Quietly she crept into the nursery. Peering over the crib she saw Brandon sleeping peacefully on his back. Despite the frequent thunder and lightening, the baby slept soundly. His little chest rose and fell while every moment or so his little fingers twitched slightly. Stephanie gently tugged on the blue cotton blanket tucking it farther up on his little body. After covering up the baby, Steph left the nursery and headed down the hall to Andrew's room.

"Mommy?" Andy called out in the dimly lit room as Steph peeked in. He was sitting up in bed.

"Andy, go back to sleep. It's only four in the morning." Steph told the four year old as she walked further into his room stepping over his many toys that littered the carpet floor.

"But I'm scared. I had a bad dream and the thunder's really loud. It's really scary." Andrew explained, his voice sounding raspy as she clutched his colorful bed sheets in his hands.

"Mommy had a bad dream too. Lay back down, sweetie, and you'll fall back asleep." Steph replied picking Andrew up into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck as he laid his head on her shoulder, snuggling into her neck.

"I don't wanna go to sleep, Mommy. I wanna stay wif you."

"Let's get you a warm glass of milk. It will help you feel better." Stephanie whispered, carrying Andy out of his room and toward the staircase.

Once she descended the stairs, Steph made her way through the dark hallway toward the kitchen. After flicking on one of the kitchen lights, Steph sat Andrew on the countertop. Viewing the kitchen, Steph's eyes caught sight of a pizza box sitting on the counter top by the laundry room door. She now knew what Kurt's meal was for him and Andrew last night. Andy rubbed his eyes with his hands as Stephanie took the milk from the refrigerator. She set a small cup on the counter and poured milk in it.

"Isn't Brandon afraid of the noise?" Andy asked as he watched Stephanie put the cup of milk in the microwave.

"He's asleep. I checked on him before I went to see you. You're not going to be too tired to go to preschool." Steph commented walking back over to the four year old as the microwave heated his milk.

"I don't wanna go to school. I wanna stay wif you. Mommy?" Andy asked swinging his legs causing his feet to kick the wooden kitchen cabinets below.

"What is it?" Steph muttered, keeping her eye on the microwave.

"Are you going to leave?"

"What do you mean leave?" Steph asked looking back at Andrew who was staring at her face. He looked a bit puzzled. Stephanie stepped over to the counter where Andy was sitting.

"Mikey Miller in my class, his mommy left him and his daddy. He woke up one day and his mommy was gone. His daddy said she didn't want to live with them anymore. Please don't leave. I need you and so do baby Brandon and Daddy. Please Mommy, I promise I'll be good." Andrew said, his eyes filling with tears. He stuck out his pink bottom lip, his eyebrows furrowed as he grabbed hold of her hand and tugged.

"I'm not going to leave you. I would never walk out on my children. You and your brother are the reason I am able to get up in the morning." Steph explained running her hand through Andrew's brown hair. She was telling the four year old the complete truth. The past few days were hard on her. She had been longing to be with Paul and Aurora. To have things back to the way they used to be. If it wasn't for Andrew and Brandon, Steph would have left the Angle home and would have been much more aggressive in searching for answers.

"And you love Daddy too?" Andy added, looking directly at Steph awaiting an answer.

"Yes, I love Daddy. Sweetheart, I am not going to leave. I'm sure there was a very good reason Mikey's mother left. It has nothing to do with us. Is this why you couldn't sleep? You're afraid I'm going to leave in the night?"

"Yeah…and the thunder is scary." Andy quickly replied, he then grabbed hold of Stephanie and hugged her hand as a roll of thunder came crashing through the sound of rain falling.

"It's okay honey. There's nothing to be worried or scared about." Steph whispered in a soothing voice, taking him into her arms to comfort him.

"_Beep…beep…beep"_

The microwave had stopped and green digital letters displayed the word "end", on the digital clock area of the microwave. Steph, carrying Andrew, walked over to it, and took out the now warm milk.

"Drink up, we have to get you back to bed." Steph commented handing Andy the cup of warm milk which he immediately began to drink.

"I wanna sleep with you and Daddy tonight." Andy said after gulping down the warm milk.

Stephanie allowed the four year old to climb into bed with her and Kurt. They slept with Andy in the middle. He slept as close as he could to her. It was like he was afraid of her leaving him while he slept. The little boy's attachment to her didn't bother Stephanie. Hearing his concerns of her leaving and hearing him beg her to stay made Stephanie's heart ache. She had no idea such a young child could be burdened by worrying if his own mother abandoning him. Steph was finally able to put that warped dream out of her mind while she snuggled close to Andrew Vincent. It wasn't long before she fell back asleep.

When eight o'clock in the morning rolled around, Stephanie was tending to Brandon in the nursery while Kurt was getting ready for work. Andrew was still asleep in the king size bed. Stephanie wasn't sure if she was going to send Andy to preschool when he didn't get a full night's rest last night.

"Are you okay? You were really upset last night because of the nightmare. You kept going on and on about the baby being gone." Kurt said walking into the nursery as he fixed the ruffles from his dress shirt and then adjusted his tie.

"Yeah, it was a really upsetting dream. There's nothing like the thought of losing your own child…"Steph muttered not bothering to look at Kurt.

"I don't want you to worry. Nothing is going to happen to either of the kids. I'd die before I'd let anything happen to you or our children." Kurt commented causing Steph to look up at him. She felt somewhat awkward by Kurt's sincerity of his love for her and the boys. If only he knew about the lack of memory she had of their life together.

"I'm fine. Andrew was really upset last night too. I think he might be developing some kind of a separation anxiety. He's scared to death I'm going to leave you guys." Steph explained, her eyes darted down to the baby feeding baby in her arms.

"How did that start? How could he get separation anxiety, you're home with him and Brandon all the time?"

"Some kid in his class shared with him how is mother ran out on him and his father; since when is that fit conversation for preschool?"

"It will be all right. Andrew knows we love him. You talked to him and he knows that has nothing to do with us as a family. Don't worry about it, honey." Kurt replied walking over to where Stephanie was seated with the baby. He knelt down so that he was eye level with Stephanie.

"I love you. I want you to be the happiest wife and mother in the world." Kurt whispered with a smile causing Steph to smile too.

Stephanie's hand touched his smooth close shaven face. She moved her hand down his cheek as he moved in closer toward her. Gently he pressed his lips to hers. Steph closed her eyes, breathing in deep as they kissed passionately only for a moment.

"I'm not taking him to preschool today. He didn't get enough sleep last night." Steph told Kurt as she removed her hand from his cheek and brought it to her left bosom where Brandon was feeding.

"You may want to go grocery shopping today. We're running low on milk, cereal, and butter. I just noticed this morning." Kurt said getting to his feet. He was keeping his eyes fixed on Stephanie who was busy tending to the infant.

"I guess I can run to the Food Emporium. Shit that means I'll have to drag the kids there." Steph muttered looking over at Kurt who was getting ready to walk out of the nursery.

"You want to drop them off at your mom's? I'm sure she would love to watch them." Kurt offered stopping and looking back at Stephanie.

"No, I don't think it would be good to leave Andrew right now. With what happened last night, I don't want to upset him by leaving him and his brother." Steph replied as she began to pat the baby on his back once he was held up in her lap.

"All right, well you do what ever you want. I have to get going. I'll see you around four or five tonight. Love you." Kurt said as he walked out of the room leaving Stephanie alone to finish tending to the three month old.

Stephanie managed to arrive at the Food Emporium around noon with both children in tow. After laying a soft blanket down in the baby seat of the cart, Steph placed Brandon in it and fastened the restraint. Steph began walking down the food aisles with Andrew hanging off of the cart. Not wanting to waste time, Steph began to collect all the essentials.

"Mommy, I want this cheeriol." Andrew said holding up a box of Lucky Charms for Stephanie to see as they stood in the middle of the cereal aisle.

"Are you going to eat that if I buy it?" Steph asked looking down at the four year old that was still holding the box up in the air as he pranced around the aisle.

"Yes, I want this." He commented with a head nod as he skipped over to the cart and dropped the box in it. He then climbed back on the end of the cart and began to shake it.

"Andrew, stop doing that, your brother is sleeping!" Steph scolded as she looked down the baby. Brandon stirred a little in his sleep and gave a little yawn.

"He's still sleeping…" Andy whispered leaning over the cart basket.

Stephanie continued up and down the next three aisles. It was when she reached the produce that she heard a noise.

"_Stephanie?"_

Steph quickly turned around as she brought her cart to a stop at the produce section of the store. The voice was faint but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the voice of her mother. At least it sounded like her mom. Stephanie's eyes scanned her immediate surroundings looking to see if her mom happened to be shopping there as well.

"Mommy, I want this." Andrew said grabbing hold of Stephanie's hand. She jumped not expecting to be touched. She looked down at the four year old who was still holding her hand while at the same time holding a DVD in the other hand.

"Why do you want that?" Steph asked putting her attention on the young child.

"I wanna watch it. It's got Spiderman and Batman in it." He explained pointing at the cover. "I really really want it."

Andrew smiled and moved closer to Steph. She watched as he protruded his bottom lip out and put his arms around her legs.

"Please Mommy…" He pleaded squeezing her tight.

"Okay, put it in the cart but that's it. You're done for the day." Steph replied as she fixed her hair with her hand.

"Steph! Hey! How are you?" A blonde woman gushed walking up to Stephanie with her cart full of food. Stephanie looked the woman over up and down, trying to figure out who the hell she was. The woman was very beautiful. She reminded Stephanie of Stacy Keibler but maybe a little older. She was well dressed, almost too well dressed for grocery shopping.

"I'm good. How are you?" Steph answered back with a friendly smile as she stared nervously at the woman's face, unable to remember ever meeting her before.

"I'm doing well. I haven't gotten to see you since you in two months. The morning jogs aren't the same without you. What's been going on?" She asked with a smile.

"I've been busy. There have been a lot of changes going on, a lot of stuff to get used to." Steph replied.

"Oh I bet. I can only imagine having two children. Carrie is about all I can handle. I thank God for preschool. Speaking of preschool, why aren't you at school Andrew Vincent Angle?"

"I'm helping Mommy shop." He muttered grabbing on to Steph's leg. He smiled shyly as she hid behind Stephanie.

"Oh my God, Steph, Brandon has gotten so big. He looks completely different since the last time I saw him. He's so adorable." She said in an excited whisper when she finally did notice the infant asleep in the baby seat.

"Yeah, he's cute. I don't see any of myself in him though."

"He's probably going to look more like Kurt. How is your hot hubby?" The woman asked raising one eyebrow.

"He's fine." Stephanie replied. She didn't know what else to say. All she could think about was how awkward she felt because she didn't know this woman but she knew her.

"Listen Steph, you have got to promise me to come running tomorrow morning. We'll just do our usual three miles. Also, are you going to volunteer at the preschool, they are asking the Moms to. I thought it could be something we could do. I wanted to talk with you about it before I signed up."

"No, I don't think so. I plan on going back to work the first chance I can. It seems my brother has been left to not only to do my job but his old job as well. That's really scary." Steph commented with a chuckle.

"What? You're going back to work? Why so sudden? We both always talked about how we love staying at home with our kids."

"Well I love the family business and I don't think I can take much more of sitting around the house changing diapers. I love my career." Steph explained. The lady looked at her like she was crazy.

"Well I should get going; I have to pick up Carrie. I'll see you outside at seven tomorrow for our run. You know you can just throw the boys in the stroller and go." She said with a laugh.

"Okay, since seeing you." Stephanie said politely as she watched the woman walk away and down another aisle.

"Andrew, do you know who she was?" Steph asked him as he climbed back up on the back of the cart, still holding his DVD.

"Yeah she's Mrs. Jones. Her house is next to our house."

"Great, now I'm keeping up with the Joneses…" Steph said under her breath as she pushed the cart forward.

Once home, Stephanie put Brandon in his swing in the kitchen while she unloaded the grocery bags from the car. Andrew waited patiently in the kitchen for Stephanie to bring in the plastic bag that contained his new DVD. It wasn't till Stephanie put all the groceries away that she gave the four year old his movie.

"Put it on please." He said handing it to Stephanie before running into the living room and plopping down on one of the sofas.

Steph walked into the living room with the DVD. She pushed the "open" button on the DVD player and placed the DVD disk into the tray before hitting the button again. She pushed a few buttons on the remote control and set it back down on the entertainment center at the base of the flat screen TV. It was then that something caught Stephanie's eye. One of the droars of the entertainment stand was open just enough for her to view the words written in black sharpie, "Home Movies from 2003". Steph opened the droar completely and removed the home movie DVD case.

"Andy, Mommy's going to watch TV up in the bedroom. You stay here and watch your movie." Steph told the four year old who didn't even answer her as he watched the Spiderman and Batman on the plasma TV.

Stephanie took Brandon with her up to the master bed room. Using the smaller wall plasma TV right in front of the king sized bed, Steph started up the home movie. She sat on the bed with baby Brandon laying right in front of her on the bed.

When the home movie started Stephanie saw herself lying in a hospital bed. She thought she looked okay, other than her hair looking a little out of place and the lack of makeup, she had seen herself look worse.

"This here is my beautiful wife, Stephanie, moments after bringing our first child into the world. Doesn't she look beautiful?" Kurt's voice said as he zoomed in on her with the camera.

The camera then panned over to a little baby in a hospital cart. He was screaming as the nurses took his feet prints. He was a good sized baby with a thin layer of brown hair on his little head. Steph watched the movie closely as the nurses finished doing the routine after birth procedure before they wrapped the newborn in a blue blanket.

"Look at him, Andrew Vincent Angle. The nurse is bringing him to meet his mommy." Kurt narrated as the camera followed the nurse as she carried the little baby over to Stephanie, who was waiting, her arms extended. Amazingly, the newborn's crying ceased once in his mother's arms.

"He's so beautiful and perfect. I love him so much." Steph heard herself say said through tears as she held the newborn close. The new mother began to shower her new child with light kisses.

The footage then switched to another hospital room. It was obvious to Stephanie that the room she was now viewing was the one they had moved her to after the delivery. Stephanie was sitting up in bed holding Andrew who was awake and looking up at her. Kurt was seated on the side of the bed.

"Here we have Mr. and Mrs. Angle with their new son. This is the first family footage of the Angle family." Steph heard Shane say. He was obviously manning the video camera.

"Shane, zoom in on Andrew." Linda said who was standing by the bed next to Vince and Marissa.

The camera zoomed in and around so it was looking down at the baby. Baby Andy's cloudy eyes blinked a few times before he let out a few soft cries. Kurt's hand stroked the baby's head before he leaned down and kissed it his little forehead.

"I love you." Stephanie whispered with a smile gazing of at Kurt.

"I love you too." Kurt answered back before Stephanie leaned over and kissed his lips. Shane panned the video camera out, getting a shot from the foot of the hospital bed of Kurt and Stephanie giving each other a few quick kisses.

"It's a good thing he's a handsome baby. I would be very upset if I missed RAW to see my first grandchild and he was ugly." Vince commented.

"Oh stop it. You wouldn't miss seeing our first grandchild the day it was born. He's a perfect little boy. Now we just have to move him to Greenwich so Granny and Pop can help Mommy with him." Linda said looking down at the baby as Steph rubbed his right tiny soft hand with hers.

Stephanie eyes stayed fixed on the plasma TV. Her eyes were filled with tears as she watched segment after segment of the first several months of Andrew Vincent's life. Seeing herself smiling and happy with Kurt and their new child blew Stephanie way. It was an overwhelming experience seeing herself in what would be considered precious moments that she had no recollection of now. She still didn't understand how any of it could be real. Everything she ever remembered about the past five years completely contradicted everything that she encountered the past several days. There was no denying that the home movie footage was in fact real. Steph had started the daunting task that Dr. Mott had instructed her to do. After viewing just one home movie DVD Steph now had questions that were plaguing her mind: Since this was all real and she was Mrs. Kurt Angle, why did she seem to have a lack of memory? Why was she still holding on to the hope of another life with Paul and Aurora if it never did exist? In time and with the help of Dr. Mott, maybe Stephanie would find out.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Stephanie was so busy wrestling with her thoughts that she didn't even realize the amount of time that had gone by since she had went upstairs to view the home movies. After feeding Brandon, she laid him down in his crib before going down stairs to check on Andrew. The living room and kitchen were both empty. The house was quiet. Steph then noticed a sports coat and dress shirt handing over one of the kitchen chairs. At the same time she heard the faint sound of laughter coming from outside in the back yard. She went over to the French doors and peered out the window.

Stephanie smiled as she saw both Kurt and Andrew playing outside in the yard. Andy laughed hysterically as his father swung him around in his arms. Kurt was shirtless, his muscles flexing in the summer heat as he rough housed with Andrew. Steph watched them for a few minutes before Kurt noticed her and smiled. She moved away from the French door before Kurt came through it with Andy riding piggyback.

"Hi Mommy, guess what Daddy got for me!" Andrew exclaimed as Kurt gently put him down on the floor. Andy ran into the living room and grabbed a toy airplane and spun around as he pretended to fly it into the kitchen.

"He's not the only one that got something." Kurt said, pulling away his sports coat and shirt from the chair to reveal a dozen crimson red roses. Steph smiled as Kurt handed the bouquet to her.

"Thank you…" Steph whispered as Kurt moved close to her, taking her into his arms.

"I made reservations just for us at our favorite restaurant. Your mom's going to watch the kids. I know you had a bad night yesterday so I thought I'd try and make it up to you." Kurt whispered in Steph's ear. Stephanie flashed him a smile as he leaned closer to her face.

"Mommy, I wanna cookie!" Andy yelled pointing at the chocolate chip cookie container that sat on the countertop. His unexpected demand interrupted what would have been a kiss between Kurt and Stephanie.

"Granny's going to be over in a few minutes and she'll make you dinner." Kurt replied to his son, his arms still around Steph as she eyed the beautiful roses.

"I want a cookie!" Andy whined jumping up and down as he continued to point up at them.

"What did I just say?!" Kurt scolded staring at his four year old son while he caressed her back with his hands.

Andrew began to tear up; his eyes began to fill up with tears while he raised his eyebrows and lowered his bottom lip. Even though his father didn't even spank him, the stern words said by his Daddy were enough to put him into tears. His little hands he placed over his eyes as he began to wail. Stephanie quickly removed Kurt's hands from around her and walked over to the crying child. Placing the roses down on the countertop, Steph bent down and picked up Andrew.

"Steph, he's fine. Don't coddle him." Kurt told her as she held the child close, allowing him to sob into her chest as she rocked him in her arms.

"I'm sorry. I can't stand seeing him upset like this. It makes my heart break. He didn't have a nap today." Steph explained rubbing Andy's back. His arms were wrapped around her neck while he continued to hide his face in her chest.

"All right, he's okay. Just put on some cartoons for him. We have to leave soon so I'll need to get dressed. The reservations I made were for six." Kurt said while he fitted the roses into a vase and set it on the counter.

"You're just over tired. Sit right here and watch TV. Granny is coming over." Steph explained to the child as she sat him down on the sofa.

"I want you to stay wif me, Mommy." Andy whined holding tight to Steph's hand as she tried to move away from the sofa.

"Daddy and I are going out to dinner. We'll be back later tonight. Will you help Granny take care of your baby brother for me?" Steph asked in a sweet sounding voice touched the child's soft face with her hand.

"Yeah…" Andrew muttered playing with the television remote control while Stephanie gave him a kiss on his face.

Once Stephanie was able to settle Andy down on the couch, she was able to pick out one of the stunning dresses in her walk in closet. She was surprised that the garment still had the price tag on it. Because of how beautiful it was, Steph thought for sure she would have worn it before if this was in fact her wardrobe. She took a moment to check her self out in the mirror. She had put her hair up with a clip. It looked like some kind of a bun but much more elegant. Steph then put on an exquisite diamond necklace she found in one of the jewelry boxes.

"Did I tell you how amazing you look tonight? You're even wearing the necklace I bought you when Andrew was born." Kurt commented glancing over to Steph who sat in the passenger side of his H2.

"Thank you, you look nice yourself." Steph said with a weak smile, she reached over and pulled a tiny piece of lint from Kurt's sports coat when Kurt stopped at a red light.

Kurt grabbed Steph's hand and pulled her over to him gently for a kiss. She placed her hand on Angle's jaw while they began to kiss passionately. Stephanie again found herself enjoying a moment of intimacy with Kurt. Paul was the last thing on her mind as she felt Angle's warm tongue exploring her mouth. The kiss wasn't over till they were flashed by the high beams of the car behind them because the light had turned green. Steph squinted for a second when she looked into the flashing high beams as Kurt accelerated forward.

"All right, we're going." Kurt said raising his hand up as Steph continued to blink, her eyes trying to adjust to the bright flashes of light being shown into the H2.

Stephanie watched Kurt open the wine bottle as they sat in what the waiter called the best table at the restaurant. It was a charming bistro. Supposedly it was her and Kurt's favorite place to dine.

"You all right, you seem kind of quiet. What's on your mind?" Kurt asked pouring Steph a glass a wine and then one for himself.

"Everything…I guess I'm just trying to get back to feeling like my old self. I'm going to have to see Dr. Mott tomorrow. There's a lot I want to talk to her about." Steph said before taking a sip of the red wine.

"Are you going jogging with Torrie tomorrow morning?"

"Torrie?" Steph asked, she automatically thought of her friend and employee, Torrie Wilson.

"Yeah, Torrie Jones. Andrew mentioned you guys ran into her at the grocery store today. I wanted to know if you guys were going to go jogging because if you are, I'll take Andrew to preschool for you." Kurt explained while he straightened his silverware after putting his white napkin in his lap.

"Yeah, I think I will. Maybe if I do everything that I supposedly do then I'll understand what the hell is going on."

"What's going on? I don't understand what you're getting at." Kurt said looking confused at Steph. He was trying his best to comprehend what she was saying. To him the only thing that was weird was the way she was acting.

"Do you think Andrew is going to be okay if I go back to work? I have to look into full day preschool. I'll take Brandon with me to work." Steph said, completely changing the subject.

"Honey, why do you want to go back to work? This is the second time you brought it up in the past two weeks."

"Kurt, I have to work. I can't just sit around the house all day taking care of Brandon. On top of that, the idea of Shane in charge of the creative department is enough to keep me awake at night."

"All right, I understand what you're saying, okay? I don't know if Andrew is ready for full day preschool." Kurt replied twisting his wedding band around his finger with his other hand.

"That's what I'm worried about. He seems so attached to me."

"Well we can sit down with him. Try and explain why you want to go back to work so he can understand." Kurt muttered and took a sip of wine.

"I hope he will. I need my career." Steph quickly replied, she looked up as the waiter arrived at the table with their food.

"You need to be with the kids too. They love you. You're the family rock. I'm not going to tell you that you can't go back to work. I want you to do what you want to do. You need to think about what's more important to you." Kurt whispered, reaching for Steph's hand.

Stephanie knew Kurt had a point. Her being a stay at home mother was the important constant in the two small children's lives. Even Andrew had always had his mother with him at home since he was born. If she was his mother, why did she agree to the stay at home life style? Why was Kurt as well as every other person who supposedly knew her well confused by her wanting to work and be a mother. Working while taking care of the children: this was the very topic of motherhood vs. career that Paul was trying to talk to her about that very night before she woke up as Mrs. Kurt Angle. She just remembered that. Was there a connection?

"Mrs. Angle? Would you like seasoning? Mrs. Angle?"

Stephanie literally jumped back to reality as she was being asked by the waiter if she would like seasoning for her food. She had drifted into deep thought for only a moment. Perhaps Dr. Mott knew what she was doing when she asked her to view the home movies. Maybe viewing her supposed memories would trigger some of her own.

"No, thank you."

After dinner, Kurt and Stephanie arrived back at their home. Linda gave them a full report on both the children. Brandon she had put down right after they had left for dinner. Andrew was also already in bed. Right after Linda left, Stephanie looked in on each of the kids. Both boys were fine, she made sure they were properly covered and gave them both a gentle kiss on the cheek so she wouldn't wake them.

"Were the kids okay?" Kurt asked as he came behind Steph while she stood in front of the full length mirror in the master bed room. He placed his hands on her hips.

"Yeah, they're fine." She replied as she took off the diamond necklace from around her neck.

"When's the last time we made love?" Kurt whispered in her ear as his hands moved to her stomach and then down her body.

"I don't know…" Steph replied she was watching Kurt's actions in the mirror. He began to give her small kisses on her neck causing her to moan. It felt so good being given attention. She had been so stressed ever since the whole ordeal began. All her worries began to drain out of her as Angle sucked and kissed on her neck.

"Oh shit…" Steph muttered in a whisper before she turned to face Kurt, meeting his kiss. Before Stephanie even knew what she had gotten herself into, they were on the bed; kissing and clawing at each others clothing. He already had his shirt and dress pants off. Steph was underneath him in only her bra and underwear. Her eyes were closed, she was in heaven, loving every moment of the symphony kissing and caressing only escaladed.

"The baby!" Steph announced as she heard the cries of Brandon from the baby monitor on her side of the bed. The baby's crying was all Stephanie needed to regain her senses. She was shocked that things had gotten this far with Kurt Angle with not a single thought of Paul.

"It's okay, he'll go back to sleep. I want you so bad…" Kurt whispered in her ear before he continued to caress and kiss her.

"No, I think he's hungry. I need to feed him." Steph replied pushing Kurt off of her as she heard the baby's crying intensify.

He looked at her like she was crazy as she got out of bed and grabbed the robe that was lying in a chair next to one of the bedroom windows. She covered her now naked body as Kurt let his head fall back onto the headboard with a bang.

"Steph, I'm ready to go here. Come on baby. Don't do this to me. Brandon will go back to sleep. He needs to self sooth, honey." Kurt pleaded as he watched Steph tie her robe before walking out of the master bedroom.

"Is my baby boy hungry?" Steph asked in a sweet voice as she got Brandon from his crib. He was crying with is fingers in his mouth. She assumed her feeding position in the glider. Like magic, the baby's crying ceased when he began nursing.

"See, Daddy thought you would go back to sleep. I knew you were hungry." Steph whispered as she used her fingertips to wipe away the tiny tears that were on the baby's soft cheek.

"Mommy?"

Stephanie looked in the direction of the little voice. She saw Andrew standing in the nursery doorway in his pajamas. He was rubbing his eyes as he then began to walk further into the room.

"Andy, what are you doing up? Go back to bed, it's late." Steph directed when Andrew came over to where she sat with the baby.

"I was scared you didn't come home…"Andy whined, reaching for a hug from Steph.

"Well Daddy and I are home. You need to go back to bed." Steph replied as she hugged the child.

"I want you to tuck me in, Mommy."

"Mommy's taking care of baby Brandon right now. You're a big boy. You can get back in to bed all by yourself. Daddy's going to take you to school tomorrow."

"Aren't you going to be here tomorrow?" He asked, his voice giving a hint of fear as he grabbed old of Stephanie's free hand.

"Yes I will. I'm going for an early morning jog so your dad is going to take you to preschool. I'll be back from my appointment in time to pick you up from school."

"Is Brandon going wif you to the appointment?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, since Granny is working tomorrow, I'm taking your brother with me. Now please go to bed. I don't want you to be tired tomorrow."

"Good night baby." Andy said giving his brother a kiss on his head before he walked out of the nursery and back to bed.

It was another fifteen minutes before Stephanie had finished feeding Brandon and put him down for the night. She quietly crept back into the master bedroom which was completely dark. After slipping off her robe, Steph got into bed. Feeling bad for cutting Kurt off right when they were starting to get hot and heavy, she reached over to his side of the bed.

"Sorry I took so long, I had to take care of both boys." Stephanie whispered in the darkness, she touched Kurt's muscular arm.

"Kurt?" She whispered again, this time a little louder since he didn't answer her. It was then that she realized that Kurt was already asleep. She obviously took to long tending to Brandon and Andrew. She chuckled and turned over on her side, closing her eyes. Only moments later, Stephanie fell asleep.

"Good morning Steph." Torrie Jones said. Stephanie walked to the residential street where the next door neighbor was already stretching in her jogging pants and t-shirt. Stephanie had dressed in something similar. She was pushing a jogging stroller in which Brandon was safely strapped in.

"Good morning, you think we can do only a mile today. I not used to running long distances anymore. Plus I have a doctor's appointment at ten."

"Sure, I don't have a problem doing only a mile. Is Kurt taking Andrew to preschool today?" She asked as keeping up with Stephanie as they ran.

"Yeah he is. He's always sweet to me, even though I've been unintentionally putting him though a lot these days."

"What happened?"

"I just can't be there for him as a wife should. We really came close to it last night but we didn't. Poor guy hasn't had sex in weeks." Stephanie explained jogging along side Torrie.

"Are you serious? I thought you guys made love every week, even when you were pregnant. You told me how amazing he was." Torrie said, lowering her voice so the whole neighborhood didn't hear.

"I told you that about me and Kurt?" Steph asked looking off into the distance as she kept up the pace of the run.

"Yeah, we always talked to each other about our sex lives. Since I've been your best friend since you moved back to Connecticut. Steph, what's going on with you? You're acting really strange."

"I don't know…" Steph muttered.

It was disturbing when a complete stranger knew more about Steph's life than she did. The woman was obviously a close friend since she knew such intimate details about Stephanie's supposed sex life with Kurt Angle. Well, could Steph even say it wasn't true? She had discovered that the two children were both her and Kurt's whether it was from a legal document or authentic home video footage. Stephanie began to question the possibility of something actually being wrong with her and not the reality she was living in.

"It's nice to see you again, Stephanie. I see you brought your youngest child." Dr. Mott said adjusting her glasses.

Stephanie sat opposite the physiatrist with Brandon right next to her chair in a baby carrier. He was completely knocked out after all the fresh air during the run earlier that morning.

"Yes, my mom's working today so I had to bring him with me. I hope that's okay." Steph replied watching the doctor write a few things down on her pad of paper.

"Oh it's fine. Let's see, our visit you shared with me some of the problems you've been dealing with as of late. Let me give you a summary of what I wrote down for that visit. You tell me if all this is accurate."

"Okay." Steph said repositioning herself in the plush chair.

"You came to see me because you had no recollection of being the person that the world thinks that you are. You have no memory of being married to Kurt Angle or giving birth to two children. You told me that you did have memory of being married to another man and even having a child with him, but you had recently approached him and he has no memory of being with you. Am I correct?"

"Yes you are. Jesus it sounds like I'm crazy when you say it aloud. I did what you asked me to do this week. I watched all the home movies I could find."

"How did that make you feel? Did you have any memory or connection with what you saw?" Dr. Motts asked awaiting a response.

"Yes, I did. I felt a connection…With the children. I have been feeling a stronger maternal bond with both of the kids. I can't stand seeing either of them upset. Andrew is going through something where he thinks I'm going to leave him. He must be picking up on how I've been acting. The poor baby didn't desire this any more than I did."

"You're right, Stephanie. That's why we are trying to get to the bottom of why you are feeling and experiencing the things you are. Do you feel any connection with your husband? After all he is the father of both your kids."

"It's the strangest thing. Even though I don't remember falling in love with him, there is some level of attraction and connection that is between us. When he kisses me sometimes I almost believe in us as a real couple." Steph replied, answering the doctor's question.

"I see, it seems like you are making great progress in rediscovering your life's moments. Are you having any unusual happen to you during the day, anything at all that's out of the ordinary. For example, strange sights that you can't explain or voices that you know you're hearing but no one else is."

"Yes, I have been hearing things. That's what's been giving me so much grief." Steph said beginning to get upset as she recalled every time she had heard the sound of her husband calling for her or her baby girl crying.

"Go on Stephanie, you can tell me about it. Do you know who's speaking to you? What are the voices saying?" Dr. Mott asked in a calm soothing voice as she handed Steph a tissue.

"I mostly hear Paul, my husband. I hear him calling my name. I had a terrible nightmare two nights ago where I heard my daughter crying but I couldn't find her. It all seems so real. It's like I'm trying to understand who exactly I am but I have to deal with memories and voices of the people who aren't supposed to exist!" Steph yelled through her tears before she began to cry into the tissue.

"Okay, okay. It's all right Stephanie. I know what you're going through. I think I can help you. There's a medication I would like you to try for a week. The drug is called Geodon and I think it can really help relieve you of some of the stress you are having." Dr. Mott said writing while writing in her note pad.

"What is this medication for? Is it some sort of an antidepressant or-"

"No, it's not an antidepressant. Stephanie, are you familiar with the mental illness called Schizophrenia?" Dr. Mott asked looking up from her note pad.

"I've heard of it. I can't say I know that much. Do you think that's what's wrong with me? You think I have a mental illness?" Steph asked getting even more upset.

"I don't know for sure. The symptoms you are experiencing are directly related to the symptoms that a person with Schizophrenia would have: The loss of memory or hallucination of a family that in reality doesn't exist but in your fabricated memories or the voices you alone hear. I would like you to try this medication for a week. There is a chance that this medicine will help you become less paranoid and more like your old self." Dr. Mott explained as she watched Stephanie sob.

"You're saying that I'm mentally ill? How can you tell me that I am when you haven't run any tests on me?"

"This is my test, Stephanie. I am going to start giving you a very low dose of a drug that treats Schizophrenia. It's completely safe to take while you are breast feeding. I want you to see me again in a week and tell me if it has helped you any. You have nothing to lose by trying this. You could have a very low degree of this illness that you only developed after the birth of one of your children. Will you try the medication? It can only help you return to normal, Stephanie." Dr. Mott said slowly and methodically so that she was sure Stephanie understood what she was saying.

"Yes, I'll try it. I just want to be myself again. Whatever person that was…I'm so lost right now." Steph said as she cried quietly into the tissue.

"Okay, here is a prescription for seven half a milligram tablets. That will be just enough for a whole week and then we will discuss the need for further treatment at our next visit." Dr. Mott explained with a smile as she arose from her seat.

"Okay…Thank you." Steph whispered taking the small slip of paper from the doctor. Steph didn't say anything else as she grabbed her purse and then the handle of the baby carrier.

Stephanie felt even more lost as she left the doctor's office. She had never in her wildest dreams believed that she could be suffering from a mental illness. But what other explanations were there of what she was going through? She wondered what her mother and father would say. Did they know of anyone in their family suffering from Schizophrenia? She tried to imagine how she would explain it to them and Kurt. Perhaps they would tell her that there was nothing to worry about and that the medication may help her get back to the way she used to be. The thing that scared Stephanie most was that she didn't know who she was supposed to be. She was lost.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Stephanie laid on the fluffy comforter of the master bedroom king sized bed. Brandon, she kept close to her body. She took comfort nuzzling the three month old as he cooed and smiled over at her. He only had on a diaper since Steph had just changed him. Despite tending to the infant, Steph was almost in a dream like state since she left the doctor's office. The news that Dr. Mott had delivered to her wore heavy on her mind. She tried giving herself a mental pep talk; going over and over in her head that this medicine that the doctor prescribed her was going to do the trick. But what if it did? Did that confirm that she was actually suffering from Schizophrenia? Steph didn't know what was worse: not knowing why she was stuck in a constant confused state about her life or if she was in fact mentally ill.

"If my life with Paul and Aurora wasn't real, then why does it hurt so much not having them with me?" Steph said thinking aloud as she caressed the baby's soft belly as he giggled to her touch.

"Stephanie!"

Steph sat up in bed hearing the voice of Kurt calling her from downstairs followed by a door slam.

"I'm upstairs." Steph answered back.

"Where the hell have you been? You forgot to pick up Andrew! They tried calling your cell phone but they couldn't get you! I had to leave work to pick him up! I was worried sick!" Kurt yelled as he entered the master bed room. In his arms was Andrew. His face was red and tear stained. He had been crying.

"Oh my God, Kurt, I was totally out of it! Oh Andy! Sweetheart, Mommy didn't mean to forget." Steph said jumping to her feet, she picked up the baby and quickly walked over to Kurt.

"You said you'd never leave me but you did! You left me and didn't come at all!" Andy wailed as he pulled away from Steph who tried to comfort him.

"I know baby, Mommy is so so sorry. The doctor gave Mommy some very disturbing news today. I would never decide not to pick you up." Steph replied, her voice cracked as she too started getting emotionally upset. Seeing the four year old this upset and hurt because of her turned her stomach. He had his arms wrapped around his father's broad neck while he cried into his dress shirt.

"What news?" Kurt asked bluntly as he rubbed his sobbing child's back.

"I think we might need to talk about it in private. Will you take the baby and give me Andy?" Steph replied leaning toward Kurt so he could take the infant.

"Go to Mommy, Andy." Kurt told his son before he and Stephanie switched kids. Once Steph had the little boy in her arms she hugged him tight whispering over and over how sorry she was as tears continued to stream down her face.

"You took Brandon wif you but you forgot me!" He cried.

"What kind of mother am I?" Steph whispered in a raspy to Kurt as she hugged Andrew as tight as she could without physically hurting him.

"It's okay, Steph. I may have over reacted. I was just afraid something happened to you. Your cell wasn't working." Kurt said quickly placing his arm around Steph while he held the baby in his other arm.

"I silenced my cell phone when I went to the appointment and forgot to turn the volume back up. You won't believe what Dr. Mott told me today." Steph said wiping away her tears while she rocked the four year old in her arms, trying her best to sooth him.

"What is it?" Kurt inquired again as he began to massage her back with his thumb.

Steph glanced at Andy in her arms. To her surprise he was asleep. He had gotten himself so upset that he had tired himself out.

"Dr. Motts, she thinks there's a possibility that I have Schizophrenia." Steph whispered.

"What? Schizophrenia, as in the mental illness?" Kurt asked, his face wore a look of complete astonishment.

"Yeah, she said that it might be something I developed after I had Brandon. The illness would explain why I'm completely confused about my identity. I just can't believe I've been hallucinating a completely different life." Steph muttered, still trying to hold back her tears.

"What? You've been hallucinating? Steph, why didn't you tell me? You told me you were having some problems that you needed to see a doctor about but Jesus Stephanie. So what's the plan? Is the doctor going to do tests?" Kurt asked, arching an eyebrow as he waited Steph to fill him in on the details.

"She gave me a prescription for Geodon which is a medicine that treats Schizophrenia. It's a really low dose that I'll take for a week and see if it helps me in any way."

"Jesus…" Kurt muttered again, putting his head in his hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on. I thought you'd think I was crazy. I didn't have any memory of being married to you or having the kids." Steph explained, placing her hand on Kurt's hard chest, bracing him as the color drained from his face.

"You don't remember us?" He whispered watching as Steph slowly shook her head and muttered how she was sorry.

He put his arm around Steph and pulled her into a family hug, cradling the two children between them. She breathed in deep before Kurt gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. His lips were so soft pressed against hers.

"We'll get through this, what ever you're going through. I'll help you remember us, I promise." Kurt whispered rubbing his nose against hers. Stephanie smiled her eyes filling up with tears again as she then returned a kiss.

That night, Kurt fixed dinner for the family. Stephanie was still out of sorts from the fear of having a mental illness and the guilt of leaving her four year old child. Andrew was in much better humors after he caught a half an hour nap. He sat in his booster seat, taking his time eating the chicken fingers his father made for him.

"When are you going to tell Mom, Dad, and Shane?" Kurt asked looking over at Steph as she balanced Brandon in her lap while stabbing her food with the fork.

"I think it would be best to tell them right away. We should invite them over tomorrow. I doubt they're busy on a Saturday." Steph said after swallowing a bite of food.

"They're going to be at the company picnic tomorrow. I didn't tell you about it because of what happened at the last function we went to. I didn't think you'd want to go." Kurt replied, keeping his eye on Andy who to a sip of his glass of milk with both hands. He was known for fill up on liquids and not being able to finish his dinner.

"Well a company picnic isn't really the right place to tell the family about it. Andy, sweetheart, do you want to go to the picnic tomorrow?" Steph asked looking over at the child.

"Is Granny and Pop gonna be there?" Asked Andrew cocking his head to the side as he awaiting a response from Stephanie.

"Yes, and Uncle Shane and Aunt Marissa will be there too. I'm sure there will be lots of fun things to do. There'll be games and food-"

"Even candy?" Andy asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Steph, are you sure you'll want to go the picnic tomorrow? We had a lot going on today. You know that the whole roster will be there. I just don't want you to be under any unnecessary stress." Kurt explained placing his arm around Steph.

"I'll be okay. I think Andrew will enjoy it. I want tomorrow to make up for what happened today." Stephanie replied running her fingers through the four year old's short brown locks.

After dinner, Steph put Brandon down early so that she could tuck Andrew in herself. His beautiful blue eyes gazed up at her as she tucked him into his bed. She gave his cartoon pillow a few fluffs before sitting on the edge of the race car bed.

"I'm very sorry about what happened today. Mommy would never leave you on purpose. It was an accident. I've really come to love you and your little brother. I couldn't just walk away from you guys. You two are my babies. And Daddy…I love him very much because he gave me two perfect little boys. So don't you worry, Andy. Mommy isn't going anywhere. Okay?"

"Okay…" Andy answered reaching his arms out for her. Steph bent over and hugged him. After a nice hug, Steph gave him a few kisses on the face.

"Mommy?" Andy said as she started to walk toward the door. "Can you put my nightlight on? I don't want to be in the dark."

Stephanie gave him a smile and a nod. She flicked on the nightlight that sat on the nightstand by Andy's bed. The lamp projected colorful dinosaurs on the wall. The colorful creatures moved in a clockwise pattern which Andy enjoyed watching from his bed.

"Get some sleep sweetie." Steph told the child before she left the room with the door slightly ajar.

"Night night, Mommy."

"Everything okay, babe?" Kurt asked as he stepped out of his dress pants. He saw Stephanie enter the master bedroom with some what of a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind. Do you know if Paul Levesque is going to be at the picnic tomorrow? I don't know if I can stand being around him." Steph muttered as she began to undress.

"Yeah, everyone's coming. Don't let him ruin your day tomorrow. Just stay away from him. Ignore him like the bad smell that he is." Kurt said with a chuckle as he pulled his shirt over his head.

Seeing Paul Levesque again might very well push Stephanie over the edge. She was already struggling to get used to the possibility of a mental illness that caused her to lose her identity. Now she might have to see the very man she had believed to be her husband. Her heart ached looking back at how he had treated her at the conference dinner. He wasn't the Paul she swore she knew.

"Do you have to pick up your prescription tomorrow?" He asked getting into bed with only his briefs on.

"No, I picked it up on the way home. God Kurt, I feel so bad about forgetting to pick up Andy. I talked to him. He's so sweet that he forgives me. I still feel terrible." Steph explained, starting to get upset again as she slid into her side of the bed wearing a silk nightgown.

"Steph, you have to stop beating yourself up about it. It's okay, Andrew understands that it was an accident. He's okay, I was there to pick him up. You had a hard day. A lot of stuff is weighing on your mind." Kurt replied. He scooted over in bed toward Stephanie. Putting his arms around her, he pulled her close to him.

"I know. I'm so confused. Thank you though…for being here for me." Steph muttered, caressing Angle's hard chest with her finger tips.

"I love you. You're my wife, the mother of my children. This isn't just happening to you, baby. It's happening to me too because you're a part of me." Kurt whispered rubbing her bare arm that lay across his chest.

"You really love me?" Steph asked, she looked into his eyes as if she was trying to observe if he was telling the truth. He seemed too perfect to be a real husband.

"Of course I do. God, you not remembering is killing me. I'm going to help you remember us. I'm promising you that. We'll bring out the photo albums and watch our wedding reception footage."

"I'd like that. Right now though I think we should get some sleep. I put Brandon down early so I know he's going to wake up in the night."

"Okay…" Kurt replied, reaching over with his right hand to switch off the bedside lamp that illuminated the room. Stephanie cuddled close to her new found husband in the darkness. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

"_Stephanie? Can you hear me? Wake up."_

Steph lay in bed half asleep as she heard the voice of the man she knew as Paul, her husband. She jumped a moment later when she felt a warm hand on her face. Steph quickly sat up in bed. Her hands reached for her face. She was sweating, much like she had done when she had that nightmare a few nights ago. Stephanie knew what she had felt. There was no mistaking the feeling of a hand caressing her face for only a second. Her ears immediately heard something else as she sat in the dark room. The sound of Brandon crying came through on the baby monitor which Stephanie turned her head toward. The clock read three in the morning. She was hallucinating. What other explanation could she come up with? It couldn't have been Kurt, he was sound asleep, lightly snoring. Stephanie found her way through the darkness to the nursery. Brandon was still crying his eyes out as she approached the crib.

"Come here, let's get you changed and feed you." Steph said aloud taking the baby into her arms and carried him over to the changing table. He continued to cry as Steph changed his diaper. His hands were soaked with his saliva from him feverously sucking on own little hands.

"You sure are hunger." Steph commented in a whisper as she fed Brandon. It was about a twenty minute feeding before Brandon fell asleep nursing. She put him back in his crib before going back to bed.

Stephanie was able to sleep in to eight o'clock. Kurt had already gotten up with the children. The picnic was going to start at noon. Kurt and Steph spent the morning eating breakfast and getting the kids ready and then themselves. Stephanie made sure to take her first dose of Geodon with a glass of water.

"Mommy, what's that you put in your mouth?" Andy asked observing her take the medication.

"They're just some vitamins to help Mommy feel better." Steph explained putting the now empty glass of water into the kitchen sink.

"Stephanie, I'm so happy you decided to come!" Linda exclaimed as the Angle family walked up to the McMahons who were already set up with food at a picnic table. The picnic was being held in one of Stamford's state parks. It was a sunny day, perfect for the event.

"I'm glad Kurt told me about it. I need to get out for some fresh air after what I went through yesterday." Steph replied, her eyes scanning the large population of superstars that were sitting around eating, talking, or grill hot dogs and hamburgers.

"What happened? Is it about your physiatrist appointment yesterday? Kurt mentioned you were going to one yesterday." Linda asked, curious as to why Stephanie was upset.

"I really don't want to talk about it right now, Mom. This isn't the place." Steph told her mother as she shifted Brandon in her arms.

"Hi Granny. Where's Pop?" Andrew asked running to Linda for a hug.

"He's over at one of the grills with Uncle Shane. If you want you can go over and surprise them." Linda told her grandson when she picked him up and hugged him.

"Okay." Andy said as Linda set him back on his feet. He wasted no time running over to his grandfather and Uncle.

"I'm going to go see them too." Steph told her mother before walking away from her and Kurt.

"Well look who showed up, the little homemaker herself, my little sister." Shane said with a smile as he stood next to his father with a beer in his hand.

"Hi Shane, did we have a good week? You let me know if you need advice about storylines. I'm sure you're having a tough time. Everyone knows I was the creative one of the family." Steph replied as she watched Vince rough house with Andy.

"Whatever Steph, don't be jealous of my high powered position." Shane said with a laugh.

"Hey Steph, you look great as always. It feels like forever since we had a get together. How are you and the kids?" Marissa asked as she walked up to Stephanie and gave her a hug.

"We're good." Steph replied with a weak smile. She fell quiet when she heard a distant voice calling her name.

"_Steph? Can you hear me? Steph?"_

Even though the voice was faint, Stephanie was sure that it was Paul. Her heart leapt at the possibility of her Paul calling for her. Her eyes began to look toward the clusters of superstars standing and sitting around conversing. She saw Paul several feet away talking with Andrew "Test" Martin.

"Oh shit, it's that crazy bitch. I'm not here." Paul said to Martin when he saw Stephanie walking toward them still holding the infant. He placed his right hand on his brow, trying to hide his face thinking that maybe Steph wouldn't see him.

"Were you calling me?" Stephanie asked in a sweet but hopeful voice when she walked up to Levesque. He moved his hand from his face, allowing her to view his hazel eyes. Steph's mouth hung open a bit when she saw the eyes of the man she had been in love with. The eyes that she remembered being filled with love for her and Aurora were now full of anger and hate.

"What are you talking about? Why would I call you? I want nothing to do with you. Didn't you embarrass me enough at the last company function? If TNA paid as much as you guys do, I would leave this nepotistic company so fast your head would spin. I guess we all have our crosses to bare. Mine is working for your lunatic father and putting up with his and Shane's shit for a big fat paycheck. Please, for my sanity and the lack of yours, get the hell out of my sight and take that pudgy little bastard with you." Paul said pointing at the three month old in Stephanie's arms as Andrew Martin snickered.

"You're a fucking asshole!" Stephanie yelled, her eyes filling with tears as she placed her hand on Brandon's head, almost shielding him from Paul.

"That would be your husband, father, and brother, now get the fuck out of my face." Paul said with force turning his back on her and resuming his conversation with Test.

Stephanie grabbed Paul's arm causing him to turn back around to face her with a cold stare. She quickly raised her hand and was about to slap his face when he caught it. He shook with anger as he squeezed her hand making her cry out in pain.

"Paul, come on man, I think your hurting her." Test said looking a bit uneasy as he watched Levesque inflict pain on Steph while Brandon screamed. Like the last time Paul had put his hands on Stephanie, his short but tough finger nails sliced into her skin. She instinctively jerked away from his grasp, looking at the puncture hole he made on the top of her hand right over a vein.

"Steph, babe, what's wrong?" Kurt asked when Steph ran back to their table, clutching the three month old close as he continued to wail. Angle looked worried seeing Stephanie so upset.

"I thought Paul was calling me. I guess I imagined it. I hate his guts. I can't believe how nasty he is. He's not like I remember him at all." Steph sobbed as Kurt took her into his arms. Linda stood close by looking confused.

"Did you take your medication today?" Kurt asked running his hand through her hair.

"I did. I took it right before we left. It must not be working through my system yet." Steph cried, her free hand hugging Kurt around his neck as Brandon continued to cry.

Linda moved forward, taking the screaming baby from her daughter and comforting him in her arms. Once the child was out of her arms, Stephanie placed her other arm around Kurt's neck.

"What's going on, Kurt? What medication is Stephanie taking?" Linda asked in a hushed voice so that the employees would not over hear what she was saying.

"I'm not talking about it here, Mom! This is not the place. I don't even want to be here anymore. I just want to go home and lay down!" Steph cried lifting her head from Kurt's shoulder.

"Mommy, Daddy! Look what Uncle Shane won me! He's going to win me more!" Andy exclaimed holding a small Spiderman stuffed toy as he jumped up and down with excitement.

"Mommy? Mommy what's wrong?" Andy called out, his glee coming to a halt at the sight of his mother crying. Shane placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"I'm okay, sweetheart. Mommy, Daddy, and Brandon are going home to take a nap because I don't feel well. Would you like to stay with Granny and Pop? They can drop you off at home later. Would that be okay?" Steph asked wiping away her tears.

Andrew didn't answer right away. He took a moment to decide if he wanted to stay at the picnic without his mother and father. Slowly he shook his head, showing the adults that he felt comfortable with staying at the picnic with Vince and Linda.

"Okay, sweetheart, you have fun. I'll see you later today." Steph said bending down so that she was eye level with the child.

"Okay Mommy. I love you." Andy replied flashing Steph a smile before he ran back to the area of the park where all the games were set up. Shane ran after him, trying to keep up with the energetic child.

"You and Vince should probably come over tomorrow. We have to talk about what's Stephanie's going through. I don't Steph wants to talk about it today." Kurt told his mother-in-law, taking his child from her.

"Okay, have a safe drive home." Linda replied quietly as she watched Kurt put free arm around Stephanie as they walked away.

Stephanie sat in the passenger seat of the H2 completely silent while Kurt was putting Brandon into his car seat. She rubbed her sore hand. The puncture wound felt like Paul had ripped a whole in her vein where it began in her hand just below her knuckles. While the cut was small, it burned like it was on fire. This was the second little cut Levesque had given her. He needed to keep his hands to himself.

She was waiting for her medication to give her some form of relief. It was now obvious to her that she had imagined Paul calling for her. The real Paul Levesque was someone Stephanie didn't know nor wanted to. Why did she ever imagine that she was happily married to him with a daughter? She tried to keep her hopes high that this pill she just took this morning would deliver her from the confusion she was living in. She at least hoped that the medication would help her calm down and live in what felt was a new life she had been thrown into. Was that so much to ask for? Stephanie didn't think so.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Stephanie smiled as she stretched getting up off the bedspread. She had laid down for a short nap. Looking at the clock, she knew she had only slept for an hour. What a difference an hour nap made. She felt refreshed. The stress from the company picnic was gone as if it never happened. Sure, Steph didn't forget the scene she had with who she used to love and know as her husband, but strangely it wasn't bothering her.

"Feeling better, Steph?" Kurt asked peering over his left shoulder for a glance at Stephanie who entered the kitchen area. Stephanie blinked her eyes a few times, looking around the kitchen. The first thing she noticed was that the room looked much brighter to her. It was if she had been in a haze and had just emerged from it.

"Yeah, I'm feeling good actually. Did Mom and Dad drop of Andrew?" Steph asked walking toward Kurt.

"No, I think they're still at the picnic. It's just me and Brandon hanging out." Kurt said taking his eyes off the baby bottle containers in the sink and focusing them on his infant son seated in the vibrating bouncy chair he had sat on the counter next to him. The baby cooed and babbled reaching and retracting his little arms in and out.

"Hey you, is daddy taking good care of you?" Steph asked in a sweet voice as she walked over to the counter where the infant was. The baby's cloudy blue eyes fixed on her, as he reached his hands out toward her. Stephanie took him out of his chair and held him close.

"You seem like you're feeling much better." Kurt commented watching Steph interact with the three month old.

"I think the medicine really took the edge off." Steph answered back, rubbing Brandon's back with her right hand as he cooed softly, complete content in her arms.

"Maybe this would be a good time for us to go over some photo albums. Maybe pictures of us and the kids will be just the thing to jog your memory." Kurt said placing his hand the small of Steph's back.

"That's a good idea." She quickly replied with a smile. Their attention quickly diverted as the phone began to ring. Steph grabbed the phone from the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hi Steph, it's Marissa. Listen, I was wondering if Andrew and little Brandon could stay with me and Shane tonight. Shane and I have been talking about having children soon and we would like to see how we would do for a night with our little nephews." Marissa explained.

"Oh, well, Brandon's only three months old, Rissa. If Andy is all right with standing than that's fine, but I don't know it's a good idea to keep the baby over night." Steph replied rocking the infant in her arms as he rested his head on her shoulder

"Steph it would really mean a lot to Shane and I. It would only be for over night and we'll bring them home tomorrow when we come for the cookout Kurt said we were doing tomorrow."

"Steph, what's up?" Kurt asked, he looked interested as he watched Stephanie standing there holding the phone. He turned off the faucet and walked over to her.

"Marissa wants to come over and pick up Brandon. She wants both the kids to spend the night with her and Shane." Steph said, holding the phone to her chest.

"It's up to you babe." Kurt replied giving Stephanie the deciding power over the children. A lot of help he was. Steph thought for a moment. Perhaps she was becoming very protective of the boys. She had to question whether or not she wanted to let them stay with her brother and his wife. Sure Shane and Marissa would take care of them but was she comfortable with it? Especially since Brandon was so young.

"Okay, come over and I'll give you Andrew's pjs and the baby's things. I guess I'll have to give you the fold up playpen. I don't know what else he would sleep in."

"That's fine. We're on our way right now. See you soon."

"Bye.." Steph muttered before she slowly put the phone back into the receiver.

"Let me guess. Shane and Marissa want to see what it's like having two kids for a night because Marissa's biological clock is ticking." Kurt said with a laugh as ran his hand through his full head of hair.

"Yeah, they are on they're on their way here. I guess I better go pack for the kids. Here." Steph said handing Kurt the baby.

Stephanie was surprised by her ability to find everything she was looking for in both Andrew and Brandon's rooms. It was if she had organized it all herself. Quickly she gathered all the baby's essentials: diapers, wipes, a little outfit set.

"I guess it's a good thing I pumped some breast milk this morning. I thought would were going to use it at the picnic." Steph commented taking the four containers of milk from the refrigerator. She neatly placed them in a cooler bag.

"Are you okay with this?" Kurt asked her, noticing a change in her mood since the phone call from Marissa. Perhaps Steph didn't want the baby away from home for the night.

"I'm okay. Marissa will take good care of them. I know that. It will give us time alone to try and get me to remember." She replied under her breath as she sat a little blue duffel bag on the counter next to the diaper bag. "You might want to get the fold up playpen from the living room."

Kurt gave a nod and went to do just that. Steph's eyes scanned everything; she wanted to make sure not to forget something. Even though it was just one night the kids were going to be away. In her heart, it felt like more.

"Hi Mommy." Andy said with a smile as he walked to his mother for a quick hug. Kurt had let Marissa, Shane, and Andrew in and now everyone was standing in the living room. Steph knelt, hugged Andy with her left arm as she held the three month old in her other.

"Are you okay with spending the night at Uncle Shane and Aunt Marissa's house?" Steph asked the four year old when she released the hug. She looked deep into his brilliant blue eyes.

"Yeah, my baby brother's coming too so I'll have company. Uncle Shane said we can have pizza." Andy explained pointing at Brandon who had a handful of Steph's shirt as he babbled.

"You know if at any time you change your mind and want to come home, just tell either Uncle Shane or Aunt Marissa and they will bring you and your brother home, okay?"

"Okay Mommy." Andrew replied sweetly with a smile causing Steph to take him into her arms for another hug.

"It's only for one night, Steph, Jesus." Shane commented.

"Shut up Shane." Steph quickly replied getting back to her feet.

"Mommy's funny!" Andy explained as Kurt picked him up and hugged him.

"All their stuff is right there in the kitchen. Brandon will need to have a bottle tonight before you lay him down. He sometimes takes another one around three." Steph said. Her eyes were focused on the baby who had placed his moist hands on her face. She smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek and then one on the palm of each hand. The baby smiled and giggled allowed as she showered him with affection.

"Let me have the little guy." Marissa said softly as she approached Stephanie.

Steph hesitated as Marissa reached out for the infant. Slow, she loosened her grip around Brandon allowing Marissa to take him out of her arms. Brandon began to fuss as soon as he realized he was no longer being held by Stephanie.

"Aww, it's okay sweetie." Marissa said trying to her best to sooth the baby as he arched his back, reaching for Stephanie as his face started to get red, and his crying intensifying. Stephanie had to hold herself back. Her first instinct was to grab the baby from her sister-in-law. Hearing him cry for her was upsetting.

"Why don't I take him while Shane loads up the car." Kurt offered taking his infant son from Marissa. Brandon's crying subsided as Angle rocked him. The baby's eyes focused on his father as Steph's anxiety began to fade.

"Bye Mommy and Daddy." Andy said waving to both Kurt and Steph before he climbed into Shane's black BMW while Shane muttered obscenities as he tried to correctly put the baby seat in the middle of the backseat.

"Here you go Marissa. I should help Shane." Kurt said handing the baby off. This was a smoother transition because Brandon was now asleep. Marissa was careful not to wake him for fear of him getting upset again.

"Thanks so much, Steph. I promise we'll take care of your boys." Marissa said with a smile before walking over to the other side of the car where Angle was ready to put the baby into the car seat. Stephanie was only able to smile back.

She stood in the driveway, her arms folded as she watched Kurt buckle the baby in to his car seat. With in minutes and after a few more goodbyes, the BMW pulled out of the driveway leaving Kurt and Steph in the driveway.

"Remember this?" Kurt asked pointing at a photo in the family photo album. He pointed to a picture that looked like it was taken at a restaurant. It was of Kurt and Stephanie. Someone had taken a picture of them sitting at a table kissing.

"I don't recognize this picture." Steph said honestly looking up at Kurt as they sat together on one of the sofas in the living room.

"We had that picture taken right after I asked you to marry me. I didn't have to ask you twice, you screamed yes. We were in love…" Kurt whispered, he was still staring at the picture.

"I'm sorry I can't remember falling in love with you. The last few weeks, I've been living in a strange new life completely clueless of what was going on. I did find out one thing. I found out why I would have fallen in love you with. You are so understanding as a husband and such a great father. I only wish I could remember the life we built together." Steph said placing her hand on Kurt's right cheek.

Kurt looked up from the photo album and at Stephanie who was still caressing his face. He smiled at her and she smiled back. There was a long pause before Kurt spoke again. It was the first time Steph had been in the Angle house without either of the two children.

"We could always try playing our song. Maybe hearing it would spark some memories." Kurt said getting up from the sofa after setting the photo album on the coffee table.

"Our song?" Steph asked, looking confused at what Kurt was talking about.

"Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, it was our wedding song." Kurt explained as grabbed a CD from the near by rack and put it in the stereo. He it a few buttons and the song began to play.

_Oh, my love, my darling I hunger for your touch. A long, lonely time_

Kurt took Stephanie by the hand, lifting her off the couch and on her feet. He brought her close, placing one hand on her lower back while taking one of her hands in his.

"We danced tot his song the night we became husband and wife…Mr. and Mrs. Angle." Kurt added he led Steph in a slow dance.

_And time goes by so slowly. And time can do so much. Are you still mine? I need your love, I need your love. God speed your love to me._

Stephanie let go of Kurt's hand and brought both to his face. Angle then placed both hands on her slower back, bringing her even closer so that her nose was touching his. The soft melody and its rhythm was relaxing and intoxicating at the same time as both Kurt and Stephanie closed their eyes as the danced in the living room.

_Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea to the open arms of the sea. Lonely rivers sigh. "Wait for me, wait for me" I'll be coming home; wait for me._

"I love you…" Stephanie heard herself blurt out. This caused her to open her eyes to the man she had said it to. Kurt's eyes were open now too. He flashed a smile before pressing his lips against hers as the song started to pick up, the chorus of the song began to play:

_Oh, my love, my darling I've hungered, hungered for your touch a long, lonely time. And time goes by so slowly. And time can do so much. Are you still mine?_

Their passion was unbridled; each passing word the Righteous Brothers sang further fueled their passion. Angle had picked up Stephanie, her legs wrapped tightly around his torso. Stephanie felt no inner conflict. She wanted this. Steph's hands grabbed handfuls of the bottom of Kurt's shirt. In one quick motion she pulled his shirt up over his head and then threw it to the ground as she went in for another kiss. The intimacy felt natural, fluid as Kurt got on his knees and then lay down with her on the soft carpet floor.

_I need your love, I need your love. God speed your love to me. Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea to the open arms of the sea. Lonely rivers sigh. "Wait for me, wait for me". I'll be coming home; wait for me._

Steph's shirt and bra Kurt quickly tossed to the side before he turned his attention to her neck. Warm tender kisses trailed down her neck to her chest causing Stephanie to moan his name. This was really happening, they were in the moment, loving every moment of it. Stephanie's hands fiddled with his button and zipper of his jeans as Kurt began pull off her black skirt.

_Oh, my love, my darling I've hungered, hungered for your touch a long, lonely time. And time goes by so slowly. And time can do so much. Are you still mine? I need your love, I need your love. God speed your love to me._

When the song had long since faded out it had been replaced with the sounds of the couple. Their clothing, all mixed together, littered the living room floor around them. Stephanie moaned loudly, her hands kneading Kurt's glistened shoulder blades. Angle was breathing heavy, he too occasionally moaned her name as he and Stephanie made love on the living room floor. Steph couldn't think about anything but Kurt Angle: His mouth, his taste, his touch. Her whole body shook from pleasure. Not once did Stephanie think about Paul and Aurora or anything else of the life she believed to know before. She had consummated her love for her husband, Kurt Steven Angle. There was no longer a feeling of confusion or built up stress. She was simply happy to be with a man she felt love for and who loved her as well.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Those eggs look good, baby." Kurt said wrapping his arms around Steph from behind. They stood in the kitchen, both fulling dressed after a intimate morning shower together. Last night was the best experience Stephanie had since she woke up as Mrs. Kurt Angle weeks ago. They had not been limited to the living room, for their love making also took place in the master bedroom.

"Speaking of good…" Steph commented, she peered over her shoulder with one eye. A naughty smile formed on her face as Kurt laughed and squeezed her in a hug.

"Ouch, shit!" Steph shouted quickly turning around to face Kurt.

"What? What happened?" Kurt asked instinctively taking a step back as Steph held her right hand in her left.

"I burnt my hand." Steph replied examining the red mark just above her third knuckle from the left.

"Let me kiss it and make it better." Kurt said, stepping forward and taking her sore hand. She smiled as he gently kissed it. She let out a giggle feeling his tongue roll over the sore skin of her hand.

"You like that?" Kurt asked with a smirk as Steph moved closer to him. She leaned in for a kiss which he quickly accepted. Angle released her hand, allowing her to place it on the back of his head as their kiss intensified.

"Who the hell is that?" Kurt asked breaking the kiss after hearing the doorbell chime. Letting go of their embrace, Angle walked toward the front door.

"Daddy!" Andy yelled running to his father as soon as Kurt opened the front door. Marissa was standing at the front door holding Brandon who was screaming.

Kurt picked up his four year old as Steph joined him in the vestibule; hearing the baby crying made Stephanie come to the door.

"Oh Steph, the baby was so fussy. I couldn't get him to settle down. I was up with him all night." Marissa said on the verge of tears as she gladly handed over the infant to Stephanie.

"Marissa, you should have brought him home last night." Kurt answered back while Steph comforted the baby.

"He was screaming and crying at three in the morning. I couldn't wake you guys up at that hour." Marissa replied running her hand through her unusually messy hair.

"Brandon was crying for Mommy all night long. I was a big boy. I didn't cry at all." Andrew announced, his hands clasped around his father's broad neck.

"Well he's okay now. I'm surprised Marissa, I haven't had any problems with putting him down for the night." Stephanie said holding the baby close. He nuzzled his head up against her neck, the sound of Stephanie's heart beat made the baby's eyes get heavy.

"Shane was so upset. I don't think he got a good night's sleep either." Marissa replied, finally entering the house.

"Do you need help carrying in the kids' things, Marissa?" Kurt offered setting his oldest son back on his feet.

"Yeah, it's all in the car, Kurt." Marissa muttered, massaging her forehead with her hand.

"Rissa, you're welcome to stay for breakfast, I cooked some scrambled eggs." Steph offered watching Andrew run down the hall toward the kitchen.

"No thank you, Steph. I think I'm going to go home and get some sleep." Marissa said hoarsely as she slowly following Kurt out the front door.

"Rissa, does that mean you won't be coming to the cookout today?" Steph called after her but didn't get a reply.

"Brandon didn't eat good. He doesn't like drinking from that bottle Aunt Rissa was using. She didn't warm up the milk for him like Daddy does when he has to feed him." Brandon told Stephanie as he sat next to her on the couch as she breast fed his little brother.

"Well Aunt Marissa isn't a mommy. She's trying to learn how to take care of kids." She explained looking over at the child who was now sitting close to her. His shimmering blue eyes gazed up at her listening to her.

"I put everything away. Do you want me to take care of the dirty breakfast dishes in the sink?" Kurt asked walking into the living room.

"That'd be great, thanks." Steph replied looking down at the baby.

"Mommy, I wanna go outside. Will you watch me pway?" Andy asked getting up from the sofa. He stood in front of Stephanie awaiting an answer.

"Okay, I'll sit on the patio with your brother and watch you." Steph answered the little boy as she got to her feet, still feeding the baby in her arms.

"Steph, did you take your medicine this morning?" Kurt asked eyeing the prescription bottle on the counter when Andy ran out the French door to the back yard.

"Shit, can you get me a glass of water an hand me a pill?" Stephanie asked Kurt walking into the kitchen.

Kurt nodded quickly filled a glass of water and helped her take the pill while she held the infant. He told her that he would join her outside when he finished cleaning up from breakfast.

"Mommy, watch this!" Andrew called out getting her attention as he grabbed hold of the small swinging gymnastic bar and ran forward before tucking his feet behind his thighs allow himself to swing back and forth.

Stephanie smiled from the shaded patio. It was a beautiful day outside, surprisingly it wasn't a bit humid. Brandon had stopped feeding and was getting fussy. She sat him up in her arms and then covered herself. Steph heard the French door open and then close. Kurt sat down next to her.

"I ran the dishwasher, it was full." Kurt commented leaning over so he could grab hold of one of his son's hands as Stephanie started patting his back.

"I feel weird."

"About us? Because we made love?" Kurt asked quietly as he waved to his four year old.

"No, that was great but I just feel off today. If felt a little dizzy when I stood up in the living room. I don't know, maybe it's all in my head. Wouldn't be the first time I hallucinated something." Stephanie said lifting up Brandon and bringing him down toward her face so she could give him kisses. The baby laughed and giggled.

"It could just be a side effect from the medication. I think the medication is working. It was like you were your old self last night. I feel like I've finally got my wife back." Kurt said placing his hand on Stephanie's leg. "I've missed you baby."

"Daddy, can you push me on the swing?" Andy called out as he sat down in one of the little swings of the swing set. Kurt got up from his seat and went to help his son while Stephanie interacted with the baby.

Vince, Linda, and Shane all arrived around lunch time. They dined out on the back deck. The usual hotdogs and hamburgers were being served. Stephanie sat with Brandon in her lap holding him securely with one hand while she used the other to cut a hot dog into piece for Andrew who sat in a booster chair next to her.

"I wish Marissa could have come for lunch. It seems weird without her." Stephanie commented as she stabbed Andrew's small fork into a piece of hot dog and set it on his plate for him to eat.

"She was still asleep when I left. Taking care of your two rug rats really wore her out." Shane commented before taking a bite of his hamburger.

"I'm not a rat!" Andy yelled out slamming his fork handle on the table, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey!" Kurt yelled as Stephanie looked and Andrew and held a finger to her lips.

"I've been thinking about how I want to get back to work. Some things have come up this week and it made me realize that it would very hard for me to handle a full time career and motherhood. That's why I want to work from home. I have my old laptop in the study. I can work on the shows and submit them." Stephanie announced causing Vince and Shane took look at each other.

"Stephanie, the writing is my job. I'm head of the creative department. I don't think it's something you should have to take on. Obviously you have a lot on your hands if Marissa can't even successfully take care of those kids for one night." Shane said as Stephanie got up from the table.

"Steph, come sit down." Vince said knowing that Shane had already started to piss off his sister.

"I can take care of my kids and work on a laptop. I know this business." Stephanie snapped back at Shane before walking off with Brandon. She let the French doors slam on her way into the house.

"Let me go talk to her." Linda said, she too got up from the table and went into the house.

"Stephanie, tell me what's going on with you. You were so upset at the picnic. What's going on? What medication are you on?" Linda asked putting her hand on her daughter's back as Stephanie stood at the kitchen sink. She was cuddling the baby as she stared out the wide kitchen window at the men in her life eating and talking like nothing happened.

"I'm taking Geodon, Mom. It's a prescription drug that treats Schizophrenia. There is a good chance that I may have developed the metal illness when Brandon was born. It could just be a very slight case of it that I can treat with medicine." Stephanie admitted she then looked over at her mother to see her reaction.

Linda removed her hand from her daughter and covered her mouth. Her face wore a look of complete surprise. Her eyes were filled with tears. The look on her mother's face made her begin to feel upset.

"Mom, please don't cry. I'm okay. This medicine is really helping me. I think with time I'll start to remember my life with Kurt and the kids. I already know I love him." Steph explained as she too got misty eyed.

"You don't remember your own family? Your husband and your children? Oh Stephanie, what happened to you honey?" Linda asked taking her daughter into her arms. Steph lost control of her emotions when her mom took her into her arms. Brandon began to fuss sensing his mother's emotional outburst.

"I'll be okay, Mom. Kurt, the kids and I, we're going to be okay. You don't have to worry about us. Kurt's going to help me thought this. He's so supportive. I'm going to get my life back together." Stephanie said wiping away her tears with her free hand.

"Wait till your father finds out about this. Schizophrenia, oh my God." Linda said trying to wipe away her own tears. Her words made Stephanie burst to tears again, this time she held the baby out toward Linda for her to take him. As soon as Linda did, Stephanie ran out of the kitchen.

"Stephanie?" Linda said following after her daughter. She found the bathroom door open and Stephanie with her face in the toilet. Stephanie moaned and puked as Linda quickly rushed to her side pulling her hair back with her free hand.

"Stephanie, are you sick? Is it the medicine that's doing this to you? The stress, what is it?"

"I don't know, I've been feeling kind of queasy ever since breakfast this morning. I just feel off. I can't explain it. Maybe it is the medication but it's just today that I started feeling this way." Steph said in a raspy voice before she had to put her head back to the toilet to vomit again. Brandon cried and arched his back away from his grandmother.

Steph felt like shit. The disgusting taste of regurgitated breakfast and lunch lingered in her mouth. Her throat felt like it was on fire. It felt like something was lodged in it, scratching the skin. Chunks of food again came up her throat and out her mouth. Something inside her body had changed, but what?


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Jesus Stephanie, do you need me to take you to the doctor's?" Kurt asked watching Stephanie vomit into the master bathroom toilet. It was almost ten o'clock at night. She had been unable to keep any food down at all.

"I think I might have to go see the doctor." Steph agreed.

"I want you to stop taking the medication. You can't hold anything down." He said rocking Brandon in his arms as he cried.

"I can't stop taking Geodon, Kurt. When I'm not on the medication I hear things and I'm not as calm as I am when I'm on it." Steph answered back in a raspy voice before trying to get up from kneeling at the toilet.

"Come lay down, honey." Kurt whispered, helping Stephanie to her feet with one arm. She leaned into him as he led her to the bed.

"Mommy?" Andy called out. He stood at the door way in his pajamas. He watched Steph pull the covers over herself, trying to get comfortable in hopes it would settle her stomach.

"Andy, go back to bed. Mommy's not feeling well." Kurt told his son.

"But I want Mommy." Andrew said. His voice quivering like he was on the verge of tears.

"Come on my big guy, Dad and Brandon will tuck you in. Mommy's has a tummy ache." Kurt said taking his son's hand and leading him out of the room.

Andrew quickly ran into his room, jumping onto the bed. He rubbed his eyes as Kurt used his free hand to pull the covers onto the four year old. Kurt smiled, he rested his hand on the top of his son's head, massaging his brown locks.

"Daddy, is Mommy going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Daddy's going to take off work tomorrow. I'm going to take her to the doctor's. The doctor can tell us why Mommy's feeling yucky. Get some sleep." Kurt whispered giving his son a kiss on his forehead before walking toward the door.

"Daddy, I don't wanna go to school, I wanna go with Mommy to the doctor's." Andy whined sitting up in bed.

"No, you have to go to school. Lie back down, go to sleep." Kurt instructed, switching off the light.

"You forgot my nightlight." Andy called out before Kurt was able to walk away. He quickly reentered the room and switched the small projection light on.

"Steph, can you try and feed the baby before I put him down?" Kurt whispered sitting down on the edge of Stephanie's side of the bed.

"Yeah, I'll try." She replied, turning onto her side, beginning to pull up her night shirt to expose her bosom for the infant. Kurt laid Brandon down onto the bed next to her once she was ready to nurse.

"Ah…" Steph winced in pain as Brandon latched on to her. She was taken aback by her unusual discomfort. She had never experienced any pain breastfeeding baby Brandon before. Even the first morning she could recollect being with her family she felt no pain feeding him.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know. My boobs are really sore and sensitive." Stephanie said, her face still showing a look of discomfort and Brandon continued to feed.

"I'm taking off tomorrow. I'm taking you to the doctor. It's not good that you can't keep any food in your body. It's not only bad for you but bad for Brandon. You know he depends on your nutrients." Kurt whispered watching Stephanie rub the baby's back as he too laid on his side facing her. His eyes were closed as he continued to nurse.

"You're right. We should go first thing tomorrow." Steph whispered watching Kurt undress down to his briefs. He neatly folded his clothes and tossed them into the hamper.

"Before you get in bed, can you put Brandon in his nursery? He's asleep, I'd let him sleep in bed with us but I think I might need to make a run to the toilet during the night." Stephanie said pulling her night shirt down over her naked body. Brandon's eyes were shut though his cheeks continued to move in circular motion as he dreamt he was till breast feeding.

Kurt smiled and walked over to Stephanie's side of the bed, He bent down and gave her a peck on the lips before taking carefully and gently picking up the infant off the bed. Steph watched him slowly carry the sleeping three month old out of the master bedroom as she massaged her somewhat upset stomach.

Angle placed his youngest son gently in the crib. He used the light blue blanket to cover Brandon's chubby little legs and then pulled it up to his belly. Kurt stood at the crib for a moment looking down at his sleeping son. He brushed over the baby's fine hair with the back of his hand before raising the side of the crib, clicking it into place.

"I think I want a heating pad." Steph muttered rolling over to face Kurt as he got into bed with her. He reached over and flicked off his bedside light.

"I'll be your heating pad." Kurt said with a laugh as he snuggled up close to Stephanie, taking her into his arms.

"I can't tonight, Kurt. I feel queasy." Steph whispered when she felt Kurt's hand moving up her leg.

"I know, trust me, I don't have that in mind. Last night was worth long two weeks of abstinence. I just want to cuddle." Kurt whispered back, tracing his finger along her arm.

"I need to get some sleep. That's the only way I'm going to kick whatever this is I have."

"Do you think it's a virus and not the medication?"

"I don't know what it is. I guess we'll find out when I go to the doctor's tomorrow." Stephanie muttered, she was already falling asleep. The day of constant running to the bathroom and retching completely wiped her out.

"_Hush little princess don't say a word. Daddy's gonna by you a mocking bird."_

Stephanie eyes flew open as she quickly sat up in bed. She looked over that the bedside alarm clock that read 3 AM. Her mouth fell open when she looked to the other side of the master bed room. A familiar dark figure slowly moved back and forth as if rocking a baby. She recognized the outline of the figure. It was Paul. His voice was what she noticed first, she was sure of it.

"_And if that mocking bird won't sing, Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring."_

Stephanie felt her body shake. Hearing her husband's voice singing in the darkness was somewhat eerie, what was he doing in the Angle home? It was when Stephanie heard Aurora cooing that that she slowly began to get out of bed. The prospect of finally finding her baby girl was enough to make Stephanie approach the shadowy figure that she believed to be her Paul Levesque.

"Paul?" Stephanie called out into the darkness as she slowly rose to her feet, getting off the bed. He didn't reply. His shadow began to move toward the bedroom door. Stephanie's heart began to beat fast, realizing the fleeting chance of being reunited with the family she once knew to be hers. She quickly followed after them. Stumbling through the darkness, Stephanie was puzzled as to why Paul always seemed to stay ahead of her even though he was slowly moving; rocking Aurora in his arms a he continued to sing to her.

Without hesitation, Steph followed her husband outside; the street lamps provided some light on Paul's shadowy figure allowing Stephanie to confirm that it was in fact him. The small bit of light made his dirty blonde ponytail glisten visible along with the top of Aurora's head on his shoulder. All Stephanie needed to see was the baby's hair to know it was her little girl. Despite being in only a night shirt and shoeless, Stephanie followed her husband into the first busy street. She was putting all common sense aside in hopes of reaching her husband and child. Steph smiled as Paul finally stopped right at the intersection of Greenwich Avenue. Steph ran to him. She was breathing heavy as she reached out with her right hand and touched him on his back, feeling the silk material of his nicely tailored suit. Slowly he turned around. What Stephanie saw made her gasp aloud. It was Kurt Angle. How could that be? She had seen Paul's hair, heard his voice. Kurt was flashed a smirk. In Kurt's arms was in fact Aurora. Instinctively, Stephanie reached out for her baby.

"What's the matter, Steph? You're looking a little pale, sweetheart." Angle mouthed. What was so eerie was that when he spoke, it was Paul's voice that came out of his mouth. Stephanie started getting upset reaching out for her baby again but Kurt seemed further away than her reach.

"Give me my baby!" Stephanie screamed, her eyes filled with tears as Aurora too began to cry. Stephanie's eyes focused on her Aurora Rose. She was as beautiful as the last time she has seen her. She was in her little pink outfit Stephanie had just bought it her day before her life had turned upside down.

"There, there princess, don't cry. Steph, are you feeling, okay? You might want to wake up now." Paul now said. It was no longer Kurt standing in front of her. In the few seconds she took her eyes off of Kurt to look at her child, he had been replaced with her husband, Paul. He used his free hand to point behind Stephanie. She quickly whipped around to see what he was pointing at. Her eyes widened as a set of high beams of a semi truck came rushing toward her and finally smacked into her.

Stephanie jolted out of the realm of sleep as she felt a little hand grab hold of her arm. She opened her eyes to see Andrew standing at her bedside. The four year old was already dressed, daylight shown into the room.

"Mommy, are you all right?" Andy asked His voice full of concern as he watched Stephanie sit up in bed. She looked around the room. Kurt was no longer in bed with her. The clock read 8 AM.

"Where's Daddy?" Steph asked the little boy without answering his question.

"He's putting Brandon's clothes on him. Are you still sick, Mommy?"

"I think so, sweetie. Daddy and I are going to go see the doctor today and maybe he'll be able to tell us what's wrong with me." Stephanie told him. She swung her legs over to the side of the bed causing Andy to make a comment.

"Why are your feet dirty?" He asked pointing down at her feet that were now on the floor.

Stephanie looked at him strangely before lifting her left foot to see several specks of dirt stuck to the bottom of it.

"Andy, why don't you help Daddy take care of Brandon while I get ready." Stephanie muttered as she brushed off the little pebbles and dirt that was on each of her feet. As soon as Andrew left the master bedroom Stephanie took a quick shower.

Stephanie's thoughts dwelled on the dream as she stood in the shower stall washing her body. Was it a dream? Stephanie wondered how it was that she got the gravel and dirt on her feet. In her dream she was following Paul outside and on the road barefoot. Could she have been sleepwalking?

"Andy, would you grab Brandon's blue blanket for me? It's right there on the sofa." Kurt told his son as he pointed as he knelt in the living room. He was putting Brandon into the baby carrier. Without hesitation, his son fetched the blanket and handed it to him.

"Did you have breakfast, Andy?" Stephanie asked walking into the living room fully dressed in a pair of shorts and a shirt. While she wasn't wearing anything dressy, she still looked nice and felt comfortable.

"Yeah, Daddy made me cheeriol."

"Steph, are you feeling okay? I woke up during the night and you weren't in bed. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?" Kurt asked while he tucked the light blanket into the diaper bag.

"Yeah, I had a really disturbing dream. I think I might have been sleepwalking." Stephanie said making it all sound trivial as she bent down to straighten Andy's shirt.

"Really? Do you think that could be a side effect of the medication?" Kurt asked looking over at her.

"It could be, I guess, but I think the medicine left my system when I got sick. I think that's why I had such a bizarre dream, I haven't had one of those since I've been on the medicine."

"Well let's see what the doctor tells you to do. You were really sick yesterday. Let's have the doctor give the medicine an okay before you take it again. You might have a stomach virus that can be worsened by that drug."

Stephanie waited in the car with the baby as Kurt took Andrew into his preschool. The little boy gave his mother a final wave good bye before he and his father went into the building. After a few minutes Kurt came out and got back in the H2.

"I called the doctor's office this morning and they were able to fit you in." Kurt told her as he pulled out of the preschool parking lot.

Kurt hadn't been kidding. The office assistances barely fit her into the doctor's jammed pack schedule. The waiting room was packed as Stephanie entered first followed by Kurt who carried the baby carrier and the diaper bag. It was quite a long wait before they were even taken into an examining room.

"I thought they'd never take us." Stephanie commented to Kurt as they sat in bland examining room number 2. The tech gave a laugh as before going over Stephanie's questionnaire with her that she had filled out while waiting in the waiting room. After taking her vitals, the tech left after telling her that the doctor would be in to see her.

"Hi how are you this morning, let's see what we have here." The doctor said as he went straight for the notes after shaking Stephanie's hand. The room was quiet as he took a moment to read her paperwork and vitals.

"So Mrs. Angle, what seems to be the problem? You came here because you were experiencing stomach trouble?"

"Yes, yesterday morning I got sick to my stomach and was sick the whole day. I don't know if it could be the medication I am taking or maybe a stomach virus."

"When is the last time you had your menstruation?" The doctor asked.

"I guess last month."

"Have you had unprotected sex in the last six to ten days?" The doctor asked bluntly looking between Stephanie and Kurt.

"Yes, two nights ago. You don't think I'm…" Steph stopped before saying "pregnant", the thought never entered her mind.

"Well have you had any of the other symptoms other than nausea?"

"She did have some discomfort breast feeding our three month old last night." Kurt answered back. Stephanie looked over at him shocked. The more she thought of the way she had been feeling yesterday, the more it reminded Stephanie of her pregnancy with Aurora.

"That doesn't mean that I'm pregnant, I could be just getting my period. My breasts are tender when I'm about to get it." Stephanie quickly said almost as if she was defending herself.

"Well I'd like to get a blood sample. We could try to do a pregnancy blood test but there is a chance that even if she was pregnant it wouldn't show up because it hasn't been ten or more days since the time of conception." The doctor explained. "What does worry me is the fact that if you are indeed pregnant the drug you are taking, Geodon, I do not recommend taking it as an expecting mother. We have no scientific proof that it is not harmful to pregnant mothers. That's why I want to take the blood test right now. If it turns out that you're pregnant I would like you to mention the fact that you have taken Geodon to your OBGYN."

"Well she'll stop taking the medicine right away if she is pregnant. Could it have done any harm to the baby just from one day's use Why would we need to tell the OBGYN that?" Kurt asked looking concerned.

"Just so the obstetrician knows all the details. I don't think a day's use puts your baby at risk but let's cross that bridge when we come to it. We don't know if your wife is pregnant yet." The doctor said, sensing that Kurt was starting to get worried. Stephanie simply sat on the examining table trying to comprehend the doctor's possible diagnosis. Could she be pregnant with Kurt's child? It was possible. She did have sex with him two nights ago.

A blood sample was collected by the technician and she told Kurt and Stephanie that they would be contacted bye phone when the results were in later that day. The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever. Stephanie was having trouble comprehending the idea of having Kurt and her baby growing inside of her. Sure she had Andrew and Brandon to look after but those children, to her memory and knowledge, were already there. She had no memory of carrying them for the nine month term or giving birth to either of them.

"I bet it's just a stomach virus. I doubt I would be feeling the effects of pregnancy this early if I was pregnant." Steph told Kurt as he helped in the kitchen. They were keeping an eye on Andrew via the kitchen window as he played in the backyard. The fireflies had started to come out for it was just about to get dark.

"Well were going to get the call any time now. Another baby wouldn't be too bad. I was thinking about it today. Brandon would be a year old. Who knows, maybe we would have our first little girl." Kurt said with a smile as he placed his hand on Stephanie's flat clothed stomach. She felt awkward for the first time in days. She obviously wasn't as thrilled as Kurt was about the possibility of a pregnancy.

She jumped as the phone started ringing which Kurt ran and fetched. He smiled signaling to Steph that it was the doctor with the test results. He handed her the ringing phone. This was it. Steph looked down at the ringing phone in her hand for a few seconds.

"What are you waiting for? Answer it." Kurt told her anxiously. Stephanie hit the talk button, bringing the phone to her ear. She inhaled sharply before she spoke.

"Hello?"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"Hi Mrs. Angle, this is Dr. Manning, your OBGYN. Dr. Sals, who you saw earlier today, had the blood test result forwarded to my office. The test results show that you are indeed pregnant. I myself am surprised the pregnancy showed up on the blood test since it was a pretty low hormone count. I would like to schedule an appointment for three weeks from now. We'll want to run a Doppler to hear the little ones heart beat. You know, make sure everything's okay. How does that sound?"

Stephanie just stood there in the kitchen. She looked like she had just received the biggest shock of her life. Kurt put his hands up as if to ask her what the doctor was saying. Steph had to force herself to answer the doctor as he started asking if she was still on the line.

"Yes, I'm here. We can go ahead and make an appointment. I'm a homemaker so feel free to just give me a date and time. Okay…Yes, you can call me back with an appointment. Thank you…yeah, goodbye." Steph said before hanging up the phone back in its receiver.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Kurt asked walking right up to Stephanie.

"I'm pregnant. The doctor said that I'm only a day or two into the pregnancy so he was surprised it showed up on the blood test." Stephanie whispered. Her chest felt like a weight was pressing on it. She felt nauseous all over again as a smile formed on Kurt's face.

"A new baby…" Kurt whispered as he placed his hand on Stephanie's abdomen. She smiled weakly, not knowing what to say. Seeing Kurt so happy was all Stephanie needed to feel a little excited about the news. She leaned in and allowed him to kiss her which he quickly did. He lifted her into his arms, holding her with her feet off the ground as the kiss passionately.

"Mommy, Brandon's crying in the living room. I think he's ready for his dinner." Andy said as he approached his parents. He was tugging on Stephanie's shirt. His interruption caused Kurt to place Steph back on her feet as he broke the kiss.

"Come here big guy, Mommy just got some great news." Kurt told his oldest son as he picked him up while Stephanie left the kitchen for the living room to tend to the crying baby.

"What news? Is she really sick?" Andrew asked awaiting a response from his dad's response.

"No Andrew…Mommy's going to have another baby." Kurt told his son. Andrew cocked his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows.

"But Brandon's the baby…"

"Well Mommy's having another baby. Brandon's going to be the new baby's older brother."

"But I'm the big brother!" Andrew said, still looking confused.

"Yes, you are the super big brother. You're going to have two little siblings to look after. Why don't you go talk to Mommy about it?" Kurt said setting his son back on his feet. Andy quickly ran in to the living room and plopped on the sofa next to Steph who was comforting Brandon.

"Mommy, why are you gonna have another baby?" Andy asked her as he scooted up close to her on the sofa. Stephanie's eyes widened after hearing the child's question.

She could strangle Kurt for telling Andrew about the pregnancy already. She planned on telling the four year old but only after she had time to process the news herself. She was just getting used to being in love with her husband, Kurt, and now she was growing his third child in her womb.

"Daddy and I love each other so much that we want to share that love with another baby boy or a baby girl." Stephanie replied. It was all she could think of to say.

"Where is the baby? Is it hiding?" Andrew asked, his eyes scanned the living room.

"No, the baby's in Mommy's tummy. You remember before Brandon was born, he was in Mommy's belly?" Kurt said sitting down on the sofa.

"Yeah, but there's no bump in Mommy's tummy. There was when Brandon was in there." Andy pointed out.

"That's because the baby is very little right now. It hasn't grown yet."

"How big is it?" Andy asked moving over to where his father was sitting.

"Kurt, can we talk in the hall. Andrew, Mommy's going to put on cartoons for you, I want you to watch them while I talk to Daddy. Do you want to hold your brother for me?" Andrew thought for a minute before he slowly nodded his head.

Stephanie gently placed Brandon in Andy's little arms. The baby was mostly propped against the sofa corner as Steph moved the four year olds hands to steady the infant's little body. Andrew smiled as his little brother looked at him babbling. Kurt had put the cartoons on the plasma TV while Stephanie made sure that Andy was okay to be left holding the baby on the sofa.

"What is it?" Kurt asked as he followed Stephanie into the hall leading to the vestibule.

"Why did you tell Andrew? I'm only two days into a pregnancy and you tell him. It's touch and go right now. I could lose this baby and then what?! How are we going to explain that to him?"

"Don't even say that!" Kurt yelled back placing his hand on her abdomen.

"I can't believe you're that fucking selfish! Have you even stopped to think about how I feel about this pregnancy?!" Stephanie yelled pushing Kurt way. She walked away from him starting up the grand staircase.

"Steph, of course I have! I only care about you, us, the kids! This should be one of the happiest moments of our lives! Steph! Come back!" Kurt yelled after her as she continued to ascend the staircase.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed back before entering the master bedroom and slamming the door behind her. Her head was spinning.

Never before did she have such mixed feelings about something. Everything had been starting to look up for current situation as Mrs. Kurt Angle. It wasn't until the dream she had last night that she began to remember her love for Paul and Aurora. It didn't even feel like a dream when she saw both of them standing right in front of her. The sound of Paul's voice was real, Aurora's too. She couldn't get over seeing her daughter crying right in front of her; not being able to hold her. No matter how happy she was beginning to feel with Kurt and the kids, seeing Paul and Aurora made her want to be with them.

If she was hallucinating and had simply made up the fantasy of her and Paul being married and having Aurora, then why was it all so real to her? At the same time, the dream she had, while it seemed so real, it also didn't make sense. Why did Paul get replaced with Kurt in the dream? She knew it was Paul she had been following but it somehow became Kurt, even with Paul's voice. Then when things couldn't have gotten more confusing, he was Paul again. The only constant of the dream was Aurora. What did this all mean? Maybe Dr. Mott could tell her what this all meant. She was scheduled to have an appointment this week.

Stephanie sat on the edge of the bath tub. She held her hand under the hot water as it flowed into the Jacuzzi bathtub. She needed this hot bath after such an eventful day. She reached behind her head and brought her hair up into a loose up do. She then undressed, neatly folding her clothes and setting them on the near by toilet seat lid.

Steph sighed while she allowed her body to sink into the hot bath water. All her muscles that she had been keeping tense from stress and worry all began to relax. Stephanie's hands moved slowly in the water down to her abdomen. She slowly caressed her flat stomach in little circles with her fingertips. She was mulling over the idea of pregnancy in her mind. One night of love making with Kurt had taken her to this point. There was no more doubting her romantic relationship with Kurt Angle. No amount of pictures or family video footage could speak in such volumes as her finding out that she was with child did.

She soaked in the tub for a good hour or so before getting out. Stephanie put on her bath towel robe to cover herself after she dried off. The downstairs was dark. Stephanie slowly descended the staircase. Finding Nemo played on the plasma TV as Stephanie walked into the living room. She stopped in front of the sofa. A smile formed on her face when she saw Kurt lying asleep on the sofa with both kids asleep on his chest. The three of them were sleeping soundly. Kurt had his arms around both children. Both Andrew and baby Brandon rested their heads on their father's pecs. On the coffee table sat a half empty baby bottle of breast milk and a few baby toys. Steph quietly approached them. She grabbed a blanket from the other sofa and used it to cover them. She took another moment to watch Kurt with his sons. She could tell that he loved them by the way he holding both his kids in his arms as he slept.

"Hello Stephanie. How are you?" Dr. Mott asked as she sat down across from Stephanie in her office. It was Friday and time for their weekly session.

"I'm okay. My mom's watch my youngest and Andrew is preschool." Steph replied.

"How are you doing with the medication I prescribed you last visit? The Geodon, I gave you a very low dose."

"I had to stop taking it. It was helping but I got pregnant and my doctor said it wasn't a good idea to keep taking during my pregnancy."

"Congratulations, so I suppose you and your husband Kurt are getting along well then? This is his child you are pregnant with, isn't it?" Dr. Mott asked fixing her glasses.

"Yes it is. The Geodon really helped me to relax and it did away with the voices I was hearing. We were finally able to connect."

"How do you feel about finally being intimate with your husband? You mentioned before in other sessions that you didn't really feel a husband and wife connection between you and Kurt. You only mentioned that you were getting close to your children again."

"Well, I do love Kurt. I know that. It just seems like every time I start to become happy with my life with my family I have these mind altering dreams that pull me back into the reality I had with Paul and Aurora." Steph explained beginning to show a bit of distress on her face.

"What kind of dreams have you been having, Stephanie? Can you describe any of them to me? The great psychologist and one of the founders of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, believed that the unconscious state, the dream state, is the royal pathway to the mind. Maybe we can analysis one of the dreams together. It could help us to find out what is troubling your inner thoughts." Dr. Mott explained.

"Well, in the latest dream I had. It's like I wake up to hearing Paul singing to my daughter, Aurora. He's standing right the master bedroom but I can only see his shadow."

"Can you remember the song he was singing?" Dr. Mott asked writing down a few things on her notepad.

"It's that song about the mocking bird…and the diamond ring."

"Hush little baby, don't say a word, mama's gonna by you a mocking bird? That one?" Dr. Mott asked looking up from the notepad. Hearing the lyrics sent a chill down Stephanie's spine.

"Yeah, but he didn't sing it like that. Instead of calling her baby he called her princess and he said Daddy instead of mama…." Steph muttered looking off into space.

"What memories does that song make you think of?" Dr. Mott asked Stephanie as she held her pen at her notepad, getting ready to write.

"Being three or four years old, my mom used to sing it to me at bedtime sometimes." Stephanie said after thinking for a moment or two.

"Your father never sang that song to you?"

"No, Dad was rarely home. He spent a lot of my childhood building our family business to what it is today." Steph said as the doctor listened.

"Go on with the dream, what happens next?"

"I got out of bed to approach him but he started to leave the room. I ended up following him all the way down to Greenwich Avenue."

"Did you ever get to approach him or were you just following him?"

"I finally did catch up to him. When he turned around though it wasn't Paul…." Steph said, she started getting teary eyed as she grabbed a tissue from the little table in front of her.

"Who was it Stephanie? Was it your father?"

"No, it was Kurt. He was holding Aurora but when he spoke…He spoke in Paul's voice."

"What did he say? Do you remember?"

"He asked me what was wrong, I think. I tried to reach for my baby but it was like she was far away and I couldn't reach her. She was crying." Steph said through tears as she tried her best to wipe them away with the tissue.

"What do both these men, Paul and Kurt, have in common with each other?" Dr. Mott asked Stephanie.

"I love both of them…" Steph replied.

"That's right and who was the first man in your life that you loved? The very first?"

"….My father…" Steph muttered.

"That's right…The father is the template for all future lovers in a daughter's life. Would you say that Kurt and Paul are similar to your father?"

"I would say Paul is more like my dad then Kurt. I mean the Paul that I was in love with was. My dad sort of fell in love with Paul before I did, he really liked his personality and his love for the business."

"Which were qualities your father possessed himself, right?"

"Yeah he does."

"Could it be possible, Stephanie, that you fantasized the Paul that you knew? The very man who, in so many ways, mirrored the father that you so desperately missed during your childhood. Stephanie, the man holding and rocking the baby in the room wasn't Paul but your father holding you. These fantasies or hallucinations that you are creating could very well be a childhood that you missed with your father. By creating Paul in your mind, being just like your father, it is a way for you to have a loving relationship with your dad that perhaps you weren't given the chance to as a little girl."

"Look, my dad loves me. He might not have been there as much as he would have liked to be he always made up for it. The time I spent with him when he was home, I cherished as a child. He was my hero. He still is. You're painting him to be this uncaring parent and he's not." Stephanie said getting a little upset by the doctor's assessment.

"I never said that your father didn't love you or wasn't a good dad. I am just trying to find out the source of what seems to be very upsetting dreams that you have when not on medication. Possibly if we can find out the root cause of all this then maybe the dreams and voices will stop. I want to help you, Stephanie." Dr. Mott said calmly handing Steph another tissue.

"I still don't get how Kurt fits into the dream…"

"Well let's see. You said that Kurt wasn't as much like your father as Paul is. Why is that?"

"Kurt works locally in Connecticut. He has somewhat of a "nine to five job" where he can be home every night with me and kids. He cares about the business but he's not as passionate about it as my father and I are. He mostly cares about the actual wrestling side of it." Steph explained.

"So it would be safe to say that Kurt is the complete opposite of your father. He has normal work hours, sees his children and wife every day. It sounds like as an adult you have sought out a partner that holds traditional family values higher than career success. While a relationship like this gives you all the security and love that you might at one time believed was lacking in your life, you still want to somehow recreate and fix your relationship with your father. By having an imagined life with Paul you are able to face the conflict of family vs. career. The same subject that I'm sure came up between your mother and father as you were going up."

"…You're right…I remember…The night before I left Paul and Aurora…We were fighting about me working and taking care of our daughter. He told I couldn't do it all. That something had to give." Steph muttered, a single tear streamed down her face.

"In that scenario you created for yourself, Stephanie, you were coming to terms with the issues that you and your father didn't see eye to eye on: Chairman vs. parent."

Stephanie couldn't believe the connections that Dr. Mott was able to make about everything that was happening to her ever since she had found herself in this new life. Everything she said seemed logical.

"I'm glad you stopped using the Geodon. It hasn't been tested on pregnant woman so I would not be able to guarantee your baby's safety. I would like to prescribe another medication that is similar to Geodon. It's been around longer and has had clinical trial on pregnant and nursing woman." Dr. Mott said taking out her prescription pad and writing.

"We made terrific progress today. You should be very proud of yourself. I would like to meet with you, let's say in three weeks. I'd like to give you some time to try the new medication. Does that sound good?"

"Yes, thank you." Steph said with a weak smile as she took the prescription paper from the doctor.

As Stephanie walked to her Lexus in the office parking lot, she couldn't help reflect on the session. While everything Dr. Mott had said fit together nicely piece by piece, Steph still couldn't believe that Paul and Aurora weren't real. No one that she loved that much with all of her heart, could be a byproduct of some unresolved episode with her father. Besides, how could Dr. Mott come up with that intricate analysis simply from one dream? She knew in her heart of hearts that something bigger was going on. She just didn't know what.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Stephanie had distanced herself from Kurt the next four weeks. It wasn't that she had lost feelings or attraction for him. It was more about the pregnancy and her uncertainty of how she felt about it. Everything that she and Dr. Mott had talked about really shook Stephanie to her core. She was no longer sure of the smallest details of her life. What was real and what were fabrications that her own mind had created for her? The only thing that Steph wasn't confused about was her love for Andrew, Brandon and even Kurt. In the past several weeks they had become her family. The family was the only thing holding her together. She wondered how she could handle a pregnancy when there were so many aspects of her life she was unsure of. How could she bring a child into the world that she would need to guide when she herself wasn't sure of her life direction?

"Are you ready to go?" Kurt asked as he popped his head into the nursery where Stephanie was breast feeding baby Brandon. He had just gotten back from dropping Andrew off at preschool.

"Yeah, I put the diaper bag on the counter in the kitchen." Steph replied looking up at Angle. He gave a head nod before heading leaving the door way. For weeks Steph had wanted to talk to Kurt. She wanted to try and make him understand why she was unsure about this pregnancy, but how? Kurt was so excited about the impending birth of his third child. The last thing that he would want to hear is that his wife wasn't sure she wanted the baby.

Today was the scheduled doctor's appointment where Stephanie would hear her unborn baby's heart beat for the first time. On the way to the appointment, they dropped off Brandon at Stephanie's parents' house. It happened to be one of Linda's days off and she was more than happy to baby sit her grandson for a few hours.

"I was a bit surprised to see you back here so soon Mrs. Angle. It doesn't seem that long ago since I delivered your son, Brandon." Dr. Manning said motioning Stephanie to climb aboard the examining table after he had recorded her current weight and blood pressure.

"Yeah it wasn't that long ago, Doctor. Brandon will be four months old next week. What can I say? We tend to be rather busy." Kurt said with a little chuckle that caused Stephanie to roll her eyes.

"Well shall we get started?" The doctor said as he squeezed a small amount of clear gel on Stephanie's bare abdomen. The cold gel made Stephanie flinch but she quickly became used to it as the doctor placed the Doppler on the skin of the abdomen. A few moments of static came over the amplifier before a soft yet continuous heart beat was heard.

"You are in my estimation five weeks into your pregnancy which would make your baby in its embryonic prenatal stage of life. The embryo is attached to the uterus wall and from what I can see all normal cell division has taken place. I'm pleased to see everything going so well especially when you took Geodon during your first week of pregnancy. You are very lucky; the germinal period is very tedious. It's the first two weeks of pregnancy right after conception when the fertilized ovum, which in this stage is called a zygote, makes its way down the fallopian tubes to be implanted on the uterus wall."

"It's great to hear that everything is going as planned so is our baby out of danger from any possible harm the prescription drug could have done?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, I think it's safe to say that your baby is going to be fine. The heart beat is steady even though it is a bit faint, that is normal for the fifth week. Baby's heart beat is 176 beats per minute." Doctor Manning said as he began to jot down notes in his chart with his right hand while he held the Doppler steady with his left.

"Fast heart beat. Maybe-"

"Shh, I want to hear the heart beat." Stephanie said making both Kurt and the doctor stop talking so that the only thing heard in the examining room was the little heart beat of her unborn child. A smile formed on Steph's face as she listened to the little thumps through a small bit of static. It wasn't till that moment that this human life that was growing inside her actually became real. Even though she hadn't yet become completely adjusted to her new life, she knew that she loved the baby. It was a part of her. Regardless of who fathered it, it was still half of her.

"My little baby…" Steph whispered, her hand caressed her abdomen as soon as the doctor took away the Doppler from her skin. Her eyes glistened with tears as the memory of hearing Aurora's heart beat surfaced. The memory was so vivid: the tiny heart beat, Paul's presence as a loving soon to be father. For something that Dr. Mott had said to be a dream, it sure seemed like a genuine memory.

"Our…little baby…" Kurt corrected in a whisper to Stephanie as he smiled before he kissed her lips gently. Steph kissed him back, bringing her hands to her face. The moment of joy between the two of them melted away all awkwardness that had been between them since they found out about the pregnancy a few weeks back.

"I would like to schedule another appointment for next month to monitor the heartbeat as well as check the overall growth process of the baby. This stage of prenatal development focuses on cell differentiation so we will want to keep a close eye on the baby's growth. Do you want to set up the appointment now or do you want to call and make one?" The doctor asked.

"I'll call the office and make one. Thank you." Steph answered back.

"Great, well we're all finished. Once I leave you can get dressed and go to the front desk for your receipt for today's check up. See you next month." Dr. Manning said with a smile before leaving the examining room.

"After we leave we'll go pick up the baby at your mom's house and I'll drop you off at home then go to work." Kurt said, giving a run down of the planned agenda for the day.

"Well, maybe you don't have to go to work today. Maybe my mom can pick up Andrew at noon and watch Brandon for the day." Steph replied.

"Why do you want me to miss work? Are you still feeling under the weather?" Kurt asked, his eyes quickly looking over Steph as she slowly got off the examining table.

"No, I'm feeling okay. I just thought we could have some private time without the kids. You know, spend the afternoon alone." Stephanie said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me, let's hurry home and get started." Kurt quickly replied as he handed Stephanie her shirt. Steph laughed aloud as Angle tried rushing her to get dressed. You didn't have to ask him twice if he wanted an intimate afternoon without the kids and work.

On the way home, Stephanie called her mother and asked if she could look after the children for the afternoon. Of course, Linda was delighted. The only thing that she enjoyed more than just looking after baby Brandon was looking after Andy as well. Kurt couldn't get into the house fast enough, Steph quickly followed after him, getting a kick out of how excited he was.

The sex was just as amazing as it was the night they conceived. It felt right, there wasn't a moment during the love making that Stephanie wanted it to stop. Kurt was just as great as Stephanie remembered Paul being. He knew just how to touch and caress her. It wasn't till after the torrent of passion that Kurt began to question why she had wanted to be intimate out of no where.

"What brought this on, huh? You've barely said ten words to me over the past few weeks. Why now can you not keep your hands off of me?" Kurt asked between kisses at Stephanie's neck as they cuddled in bed.

"I feel bad about how I reacted when we found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure how to feel about the baby. You know I've been confused about every aspect of my life lately I thought a baby would even further complicate things." Stephanie explained causing Kurt to stop kissing her.

"You don't feel that way now, do you?" Kurt asked looking into her eyes, searching for some sign of regret.

"No, I don't. Hearing our baby's heart beat made me fall completely in love with it. I want this baby Kurt. It will be a piece of us that I will actually know. I'll have the memory of carrying this baby and giving birth. I don't have that from Andrew or Brandon. This baby will give us a fresh start."

"I'm glad to hear that. I was starting to think you didn't want the baby. You haven't been acting like yourself. When you found out you were pregnant with each of our boys you were ecstatic. You made detailed baby books for both Andrew and Brandon. You haven't even worked on Brandon's baby book this past month. You just didn't seem as excited this time." Kurt said softly as he caressed her hand in his.

"You know what I've been going through. I'm really trying to get back to where I was before the illness. I want to be the wife and mother I was. You have to believe me. I'm going to need your support if I'm going to get through this pregnancy." Steph replied in a whisper.

"I'm here for you. I love you Stephanie. I took my vows seriously; for better or worse, in sickness or in health. We'll get through this together."

"That's how I want it…" Stephanie whispered back as she brought her hands to Angle's face. They started kissing again when they heard the front door open and then close down stairs.

"Hello!"'

"Was that you're mother?" Kurt asked as he and Stephanie stopped kissing to listen for Linda's voice.

"Mom?" Stephanie called out.

"Stephanie, I'm bringing the boys home." Linda announced from downstairs.

"We'll be done in a minute." Steph yelled back as her and Kurt started getting their clothes back on that had been scattered all over the master bedroom floor.

"Mommy!" Andrew exclaimed the moment he saw Stephanie walk into the kitchen. He ran to her and jumped into her arms.

"Hi sweetie, was it a nice surprise being picked up by Granny?" Steph asked looking over at her mother who was rocking Brandon in her arms.

"He didn't seem too excited. As soon as I picked him up he wanted to go home and see his mommy. I think you have a little momma's boy on your hands, Stephanie." Linda said with a laugh as she watched Andy hug his mother around the neck tightly.

"Nah, loving his mother doesn't make him a momma's boy. I was the same way with my mother." Kurt said as he walked into the kitchen. Stephanie was surprised that Kurt didn't have a shirt on. He was wearing a pair of gray sweat pants.

"Daddy, you didn't work today?"

"No son, Daddy had to go with Mommy to her doctor's appointment and then we came back to the house to spend time together, just the two of us." Kurt explained as Linda looked over at Stephanie with a smile. She knew what "quality time" he was talking about.

"Steph, I think this little guy is hungry. You only gave me one bottle of breast milk which he finished in the first hour." Linda said trying to comfort the baby as he started to fuss seeing his mother standing only a foot away.

"Andy, let's go play outside and let Mommy take care of the baby." Kurt said taking his four year old from Stephanie.

"Daddy, Brandon isn't the baby anymore. The new baby's in Mommy's tummy." Explained Andy as he pointed down at Steph's abdomen when Kurt set him on his feet.

"You're all my babies, you, your brother, and the baby in Mommy's tummy. I love you all." Steph commented taking the baby from her mother.

"I'm not a baby! I'm a big boy and I wear underwear not a diaper! Just like Daddy!" Andy yelled before running out of the house via the French doors leaving the adults to let out a few chuckles.

"Did you enjoy your intimate afternoon with your husband?" Linda asked her daughter as they sat out on the back deck watching Kurt and Andy rough house in the grass. It was a beautiful day. A slight nip was in there air, an onset of impending autumn. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees was joined with the distant sound of an ambulance siren. While it was faint, it was there.

"I did, we're doing great. This new baby is even bringing us closer. I may not remember every aspect of my life but at least I know I love my family." Stephanie replied looking down at Brandon as he nursed.

"That's all that matters, sweetheart. I can't believe I'm going to have another grandbaby so soon. Maybe it will be my first granddaughter." Linda said with a smile.

Linda's comments made Stephanie think back to the memory of having Aurora. Wasn't Aurora Vince and Linda's first grand daughter? Wasn't it Shane and Marissa who had two sons? She couldn't help but relay back on the reality that she had, up till several weeks ago, remembered to be real. No matter how comfortable she had become in her new life, Stephanie just couldn't seem to forget her Paul and their daughter, regardless if they were reality.

"Can you read me a story, Daddy, pweeze?" Andrew asked his father while lying in his bed. It was half past eight and Kurt was tucking him in for the night. Steph stood at the doorway of the four year old's room watching Kurt and him interact.

"Okay, one short picture book and then it's sleepy time." Kurt said grabbing a book from the little book shelf just to the left of Andy's bed.

"How about this one: 'My family and me'." Kurt said reading the title of the book. Andrew nodded with a smile as he pulled his sheets up over his body.

"I wasn't born in this world alone. I, this little boy you see here, was born into a family. A Mommy and Daddy is what I have. And yes, they truly love me." Kurt read aloud. Andy smiled as his eyes focused on the picture when Kurt flashed it before turning the page.

"I have my mommy's eyes and nose; my daddy's hands and feet. With me, they say that they are complete. It was my birth that turned a loving couple into a real family that will always be of worth." Angle read as Steph slowly walked into the room and sat on the other side of Andrew's small bed.

"Let Mommy read the rest." Andy said while rubbing his eyes with his hand. Kurt handed her the book and she turned the page.

"Time went by and I was no longer their little baby boy. I became a big boy and more importantly, a big brother. Our family has changed with the arrival of my brother but that's no bother. I know there will always be love from my mother and father." Stephanie said reading in a quiet calm voice that made Andy's eyes heavy. Constantly his eyelids opened and closed.

"We are a family and that's all that matters. Through all the seasons of the year and for all the years that go by, I will always have my family, just as sure as there are stars in the sky. My mommy and my daddy all say that it's true. They say, 'we could never ever replace you'. I love my mother, father, and even my little bother too. They will always be there for me to make my grey skies blue." Steph read aloud, this time much softer as Andrew's eyes closed a final time.

"I am the happiest little boy that ever was, because I have a family…that is full of love." Steph whispered, finishing off the book as she shut it. Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at the sleeping little boy.

She felt Kurt's hand grab hold of hers before he leaned in and kissed her on the neck. Her eyes never strayed from the sleeping boy. He looked so beautiful sleeping peacefully. This was a moment she would cherish. No, it wasn't of Paul or Aurora. It had nothing to do with the past that she was so desperately trying to hold onto. This was her family and she was finally feeling like a part of it.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The weeks turned to months as Stephanie slowly grew into her role as Mrs. Kurt Angle. The seasons changed from summer to fall and then to winter. December had arrived in Connecticut and so had the snow.

It had been six months since the day Stephanie had first heard her unborn child's heart beat. No longer did she feel out of place in the life she was leading. Everything felt like second nature. Being a mother to Andrew and Brandon as well as being a loving wife to Kurt.

The only thing she was having trouble with was controlling the hallucinations that she ever so often would be faced with. Dr. Mott's thoughts on why all of a sudden the new medication wasn't working as well as it used to was because of her pregnancy and the changes of the hormone levels in her body. Part of Stephanie didn't mind the dream like hallucinations that she would have because it was the only reminisce of Paul and Aurora that she had to hold on to. Dr. Mott had spent the last six months explaining to Stephanie with every single Freudian ideology how Paul was someone she created in her own mind to fill some void in her life. No matter how many times the doctor explained it to her, each time she saw Paul in a dream she remembered how she loved him and their life together.

Business started to pick up for Steph when she finally set up a system with her company so that she could work from home. Finally she was getting back into the family business and wasn't just a pregnant house wife chasing after two kids.

"Did you get the documents I sent to corporate? Shane, just do what I said. This isn't hard just follow the directions I gave you." Stephanie said into the phone as she sat in the study. Brandon sat in a playpen in the room with her while Andrew was busy running around the house dancing to the Chipmunk's Christmas song.

"Look Shane, I know taking orders from me is really a hard concept for you to grasp but I've said it before and I'll say it again. I know more about the creative side of the business than you will ever know." Said Steph into the phone as she placed her hand on her over extended abdomen.

"Mama, mama, mama, mama mama." Brandon said over and over again as he stood up in his playpen, holding the playpen rail with one hand to keep himself steady on his feet while the other he flapped in the air.

"What is it my little man?" Steph asked in a sweet voice she stood up and walked over to the playpen. Brandon lifted his arm toward Stephanie signaling that he wanted to be picked up. She lifted her nine month old into her arms while skillfully balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"No Shane, I was talking to Brandon." Steph replied rolling her eyes a she shifted baby to her other hip. Lately it had been hard carrying Brandon around with her pregnancy tummy getting bigger. It was a good thing that Brandon liked crawling around on the floor much more than being carried around because Steph didn't know if her back could take it.

"What do you mean the documents didn't go through? I sent the email two days ago!" Stephanie yelled, becoming frustrated with her brother. She placed Brandon on the floor before going back to her desk to check her sent box on her email account. While working from home was definitely more convenient, having to send her work directly to her brother was a hindrance in itself. Why couldn't she send her work directly to their father?

Once on the floor, Brandon wasted no time crawling toward the study room door. He was met there by his older brother who was dressed for the season in a Santa hat.

"Christmas, Christmas, time is near! Time for toys and time for cheer! We've been good but we can't last! Hurry Christmas, hurry fast!" Andrew sang aloud to the music that was playing in the living room. He was dancing in place as he sung as loud as he could causing Stephanie to place her hand over her ear that was not covered by the phone.

"Want a plane that loops the loop! Me, I want a hula hoop!" He continued, this time in his best impression of Alvin the chipmunk as he hopped up and down causing Brandon to sit and watch him.

"Andrew, would you stop, Mommy is on the phone!" Stephanie yelled slamming her hand down on the desk, obviously on her last nerve. There was so much going on that she couldn't think. She had her brother who was jerking her around about an email and an over zealous five year old. "I swear to God he's been playing that song over and over again. I could kill Kurt for playing it for him."

Andrew scowled at his mother, his bottom lip protruding before he went over to his little brother who was starting to crawl back toward Steph. Andy crouched down behind the baby and clasped his arms around the baby's torso. With all his might he lifted his baby brother off the ground and began to carry him out of the room. Brandon started fussing. He didn't like being picked up while he was exploring the world from the floor of the house.

"Yeah, I guess I could resend the emails. It wouldn't surprise me if you did accidentally delete them. It wouldn't be the first time, Shane…No, I'm not being hormonal. Andy, don't go any where with him! I need to keep an eye on the baby!"

Andy trotted back in still carrying his brother. The baby looked uncomfortable being held under his arms, high on his torso. His little legs dangling as his big brother carried him further into the room.

"Put him down." Steph directed after seeing the baby's discomfort. Andy let go of his grasp on Brandon allowing the nine month old to drop onto the carpet floor. While he wasn't hurt, the fall definitely scared Brandon. He began to cry causing Andy to back away from him.

"Shit, I have to go." Stephanie told her brother before she ended the call and got out of her chair to tend to the fallen baby.

"Andy, why did you to let him fall?" Stephanie yelled, completely blown away by the five year olds actions. She scooped up the baby into her arms. Andrew was looking down at the floor, slowly he took of his Santa hat and then threw it on the floor before leaving the study room.

"Are you hungry? Let's go have some yummy food." Steph whispered once Brandon's crying subsided. There was finally peace and quiet in the house for the Christmas music had stopped. Stephanie placed Brandon in his feet and held his little hands, helping him walk across the carpet toward the kitchen. She was looking down at the nine month old, watching his feet take each step.

"Dada…" Brandon said with a smile causing Stephanie to look up just in time to see Kurt walking into the kitchen.

"Hey babe, is Brandon practicing his walking?" Kurt asked with a smile as he took off his winter coat and placed it over one of the kitchen chairs.

"Yeah, we're just about to have some baby food. How was work, Daddy?" Steph asked seeing Kurt meeting her where the living room meets the kitchen.

"Good but busy." Kurt replied before giving Stephanie a nice quick kiss. He then bent down and picked up his nine month old.

"Where's my other big guy?" Kurt asked looking around the room for Andrew.

"I don't know. Maybe he went to his room. I lost my temper with him. He's been running around singing that Chipmunk song at the top of his lungs then he dropped the baby."

"He's probably pouting. You know how he gets. I'll go feed Brandon if you want to go find him." Kurt offered.

"Andy, where are you?" Stephanie called out as Kurt walked into the kitchen with Brandon.

Stephanie looked all around the living room and in the kitchen. The five year old was no where to be found. He wasn't in the bath room either. Steph looked out the kitchen window, he wasn't on his swing set in the back yard. Where was he? Stephanie quickly ascended the staircase to find that Andrew wasn't in his room either. Now she was scared. Stephanie ran down the stairs and was just about to go to Kurt to tell him that she couldn't find him when she spotted him sitting in the dining room facing the wall.

"Andy why didn't you come when Mommy called you? You scared Mommy so badly." Stephanie said. HHHHHhher voice cracking as she was on the verge of tears. When she slowly got down on the floor next to the little boy she noticed the tear stains on his face.

"I didn't mean to hurt my little brother. Why do you always yell at me, Mommy? I hate me…" Andy muttered staring at the wall. Stephanie gently placed her hand on his face and turned him toward her. His eyes were a brilliant sparkling blue from the tears that filled them.

"No, don't say that, sweetheart I never ever want to hear you say that again. Mommy just got a little stressed about work. You know Uncle Shane can be a real knuckle head. It's him I should be yelling at, not you. I'm sorry and I love you." Stephanie whispered in a loving voice as she pulled Andrew into her arms for a big hug.

"How much do you love me?" Andy asked this time with a giggle. He would always ask her this when she told him that she loved him. He snuggled close to Stephanie, enjoying the cuddling.

"A whole bunch…To the moon and back..." Stephanie replied running her hand through his brown locks of hair. She felt terrible when Andy said that he hated himself. She blamed herself for allowing her frustrations to be taken out on her little boy. Looking back at the situation, she should have had more patience with him, especially since he was simply showing off his care free five year old Christmas spirit.

"I love you too, Mommy."

"You know what? Your little sister is kicking me. Do you want to feel her kick?" Stephanie asked Andy with a smile as she held her hand on her abdomen. Andrew nodded with a smile as he held his hand out. Steph took his hand and placed it on her tummy.

"She kicked my hand! I felt it! Why is she kicking, Mommy?" Andy asked with excitement as he placed both hands on Stephanie's abdomen.

"It's the baby's way of saying hi to you. She loves you." Steph replied placing her hands on her tummy right next to Andy's.

"When is she coming out? I wanna meet her."

"She'll be coming into the world in three months. Isn't that exciting?"

"Where is she gonna live?" Andy asked cocking his head to the side as he smiled.

"With us of course, you remember when Brandon joined the family. I'm going to need a lot of help from you when the baby comes."

"Okay…"

"Hey, are we going to the Christmas parade tomorrow with Pop and Granny?" Steph asked the five year old with an exciting tone of voice. Andy smiled and nodded his head.

"Should we invite Aunt Marissa and Uncle Shane to come with us?"

"Aunt Rissa can come but Uncle Shane can't cus he's a two butt knuckle head." Andy replied making Stephanie crack up.

"What's so funny in there?" Kurt called out from the kitchen.

"Your son is hilarious." Stephanie said struggling to get to her feet while she was laughing.

"Steph, honey, I need your help. Brandon keeps turning his head when I try to feed him."

Stephanie chuckled when she saw the nine month old. His face was covered a colorful mess. Mashed carrots and peas were smeared across his chubby cheeks and hands. It was safe to say that the baby had more food on his face and hands than he did in his tummy. His eyes widened at the sight of her. Brandon began to whine has he held his arms up signaling Stephanie to pick him up.

"I'm going to put some breast milk in a sippy cup. The pediatrician said that we should start getting him used to drink from a cup." Stephanie told Kurt while she began to wipe the baby's face with a wet cloth.

"I want some hot chocolate. I don't need a sippy cup. I can use a big boy glass because I won't spill it." Andrew announced watching both Stephanie and Kurt wipe down the baby and the high chair tray.

Andrew sat on the living room floor watching cartoons with his cup of hot chocolate. When Brandon had his fill of milk, Stephanie placed him on the kitchen floor. Happy with his new found freedom, the baby crawled into the living room.

" I'm not going to be able to go with you guys to the parade tomorrow." Kurt told Stephanie as they stood in the kitchen cleaning up.

"Why? Tomorrow's Saturday." Stephanie quickly replied, looking at him strangely.

"Yeah, well Vince, Shane, and I have some work related stuff to contend with. It's for the wrestling clinic." Angle explained as he looked away from Stephanie and over at the kids.

"Fine, I guess you can tell your son that you won't be coming." Steph muttered as she started to walk way from him.

"Hey, come on now, don't be like that. Come here." Kurt said reaching out after Stephanie. He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her back toward, into his arms. "Look at it this way. You, Marissa, and your mom can have a girls' day out. You can take Andrew and Brandon to the parade and go shopping for the baby all in one day. You've been saying that you wanted to start buying clothes for her."

"Yeah, you're right. We could make a day out of it. I wish you would come though. I was planning on it being a family activity we could do with the boys." Steph whispered quietly as she placed her hands on Kurt's smooth face.

"I know honey but this business tomorrow can't be put off." Kurt replied before he gave her a quick kiss.

"What business?" She asked curiously. She hated being kept in the dark about things, especially when it came to her own company. Stephanie was just starting to reclaim her creative department from her brother. He had really soused things up those four years Steph was out of the business. She had been busy for the past several months doing damage control in the creative department.

"Come on Steph, what's with the third degree? You run the writing division. Leave the technical wrestling clinic to me. I don't ask you fifty questions about your work." Kurt replied letting go of Steph before he started to walk away.

"No! Don't do that to my stuff! Bad Brandon! Bad!" Andrew screamed when his eyes caught sight of the nine month old sitting at the hot wheels carwash play set. The baby had a car in each fist. The one in his left hand made its way to his mouth while the other he threw across the room.

"Give me my car!" Andy screamed trying to pry the hot wheels toy from Brandon's tight wet grasp. The nine month old began to cry and whine and his older brother finally got the toy from his grasp before pushing with such force it made him topple over.

"Andy that was not nice. You could have hurt him." Stephanie scolded as she quickly approached the kids and scooped up the crying baby.

"But he was messing up my stuff. Those are my big boy toys. He can't touch them." Andy told Stephanie as he pointed at his brother who was still crying in Steph's arms.

"Sweetie, he's just a baby, he doesn't understand what he can and can't touch." Stephanie explained to the five year old as Kurt walked into the living room.

"Andy, come on son, let's go out and play in the snow. I'll show you how to build a snow man. I want you to apologize to your little brother first." Kurt told to Andrew, he had the little boy's snow pants, hat, and gloves already in hand. He was trying to take the five year old out of the situation, knowing that the little boy was incapable of seeing his mother's perspective of pushing his baby brother down. Still, Andrew needed to be made aware of his misbehavior.

"Sorry Brandon…" Andy muttered narrowing his eyes at the baby who had finally stopped crying. Stephanie gave the five year old a smile as she nuzzled the baby to show her approval of his apology.

"Are you coming out to play with us, Mommy?" Andrew asked while his father helped him into his snow gear. He had kept his eyes on Steph as she interacted with Brandon. Little Brandon always got a lot of attention from Stephanie. Every time Andy noticed this, he would do his best to divert her attention onto him.

"No sweetie, you go have fun with Daddy outside. I have to stay in the house with Brandon." Steph replied, not taking her eyes off the nine month old as she leaned in and gave him a few kisses on his soft cheek causing him to babble nonsense as he touched her face with his hands.

"You can take him out with us. Brandon will like the snow." Andy quickly answered back as he walked over to Steph, fully equipped with his snow gear.

"Come on son, it'll just be you and me." Kurt said putting on his own winter jacket and then his boots.

"Hey Marissa…I'm good, just tidying up the kitchen. The kids are good, Kurt's playing with Andrew in snow and Brandon is playing with some of my pots on the kitchen floor…Yeah, hey are we still on for the Christmas parade tomorrow? Kurt told me that he, along with Dad and Shane, won't be coming to the parade with us. Do you know what that's all about? I hate being out of the loop when it comes to business….So he didn't tell you anything either…That figures." Stephanie spoke into the phone as she vigorously scrubbed the kitchen counters to the banging and clanking of the steel kitchen pots that the nine month old banged together over and over again.

"I was thinking we could go shopping for the new baby tomorrow morning before the parade. I know I'm only six months along but I love shopping for little dresses…I know, my first girl, right? The strange thing is I feel like I already had a little girl….Yeah, the medicine isn't working like it used to….No, I have to go back to see Dr. Mott. It's been hard to keep up with appointments with all the baby check ups I've had. Between, Brandon and Andrew and then my obstetrician appointments, it's crazy…No, I don't have too much on my plate…Rissa, you remember what happened the last time you wanted to take the kids for a night." Stephanie said giving a chuckle as she looked out the kitchen window to see Kurt and Andrew constructing a snowman. Kurt was doing most of the work as Andy tried his best to contribute to the building process. He stopped frequently to wave at Steph.

"Yeah, I'm still here…Andrew Vincent is so sweet. He keeps waving. All he has to do is smile and it brightens my day…Yes, Brandon too. He's such a happy little guy. They're great little boys. I can't believe they're mine."

The next day, Stephanie with family and kids in tow stood on the sidewalk of Greenwich Avenue watching the Christmas parade make its way down the street. There was a huge turn out. Many families with small children were spectators as all the well known characters from television and from movies paraded down the street. It was very cold but Andrew didn't complain at all for he had a front row spot to see the action. Stephanie sat on the curb next to her mother who sat with Andrew in her lap. Brandon laid in his stroller, swaddled in a warm fleece blanket. Marissa sat on the other side of Stephanie with the baby stroller in between them. They had just gotten to the parade after a morning of shopping for little baby girl clothes at various boutiques. The back of Stephanie's Lexus was completely full of shopping bags.

"Look Granny, there's Spiderman! It's really him! Look!" Andrew exclaimed pointing at the costumed superhero as it walked down the street, waving at all the children on either side of the street.

"Wave honey, he's waving at you." Linda told her grandson.

"Hi! Hi! Hi Spiderman! Hi!" Andrew yelled as Linda hugged him in her arms. Stephanie smiled looking over at her mother with the five year old. It was obvious that Linda was enjoying her time with her grandson just as much he was enjoying the parade.

Steph peeked in the stroller, checking on the baby. He was smiling as he shook a plastic colorful key ring. She tucked the blanket around him, making sure he was staying warm despite the cold.

"Is he okay?" Marissa asked holding up her digital camera as she got shots of Andrew with Linda as he watched the parade.

"He's fine. I'll be right back. I have to find a rest room."

"You just went five minutes ago when we first got here and twice when we were shopping for the baby." Marissa replied looking confused.

"I have to go again." Stephanie said as she started to struggle to get to her feet. Marissa had to stand up and help her get up. Despite being six months pregnant, the only part of Steph's body that had any fat on it was her stomach. She found that be strange for her recollection of her pregnancy with Aurora, she had deposits of fat all over her body, not just her stomach. At least with this pregnancy, she was some how maintaining her normal slim figure with just a nice baby bump.

"You and Mom watch the kids, Rissa." Steph muttered to Marissa before beginning to make her way through the crowd of people back toward the stores that lined Greenwich Avenue. Resting her left hand on her baby belly, she used her right hand to pull open the door to Richards, the best in fine men and women's clothing. She knew they had a rest room she could use for she had been in the store several times before.

When she left the rest room she was feeling much better. Steph gave the store manager a smile and took a quick look at a few piece of clothing on the racks near by. It wasn't until she started to walk toward the door that she saw something that made her have to do a double take. Paul was standing right out side the store and in his arms was little Aurora. She was smiling and giggling while Paul was talking to her and giving her little kisses on her nose. He wore a nice black leather jacket that he had zipped up because of the cold weather. His hair well groomed and pulled back in a ponytail. Aurora was in a cute pink coat with her cute little pink Ugg boots. Her light brown hair was covered by a matching pink hat. Her little cheeks were rosy red from the cold. Before Stephanie could even move from where she stood Paul started to walk away.

Steph rushed to the door, pushing it open with one fluid motion. She ran as fast as she could out of the store and in the direction that Paul had walked. A few times she almost slipped and fell on the icy sidewalk; it did nothing to stop her from running after Paul. Her heart leapt as she finally caught up with him. She smiled as she placed her hand on his back to get his attention.

"Paul! Paul, I-"

Stephanie's heart sank when the man turned around. It wasn't Paul. A man who had Paul's dirty blonde hair but whose face was completely different than Paul was staring back at her. He had a smaller nose and great big blue eyes with a clean shaven face. Steph's eyes quickly shifted to the baby in the man's arms. It was a little blonde haired baby boy wearing a powder blue snowsuit with hood tucked behind his head.

"Can I help you?" The man asked looking at her like she was crazy as he then awaited a response.

"I'm sorry, I-I could have sworn you were-"

"Honey, we should get going I want to get the restaurant before the crowd." A young blonde woman said as she walked up to the man and took the baby from him.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked Steph placing one her left hand across the man's chest, displaying her wedding ring, as she stared back at Stephanie.

"No, I'm sorry, I mistook your husband for someone else….Sorry." Steph quickly replied as she gave the woman a week smile.

"Oh it's no problem, Merry Christmas." The woman said with a smile taking her husband by the hand before the walked away.

Stephanie was left standing on the crowded sidewalk in disbelief. She knew what she had seen. Paul was standing there holding their daughter. Steph had seen them with her own two eyes. There was no mistaking it. She felt all the air had been knocked out of her body. Seeing her beautiful baby girl and her Paul right there on the sidewalk of Greenwich Avenue made sent Steph's mind for a loop.

"Hey Steph, where's the family?"

Stephanie jumped when she felt a hand on arm. She turned to see Torrie standing next to her. Her daughter, Carrie, stood by her mother's side.

"Hi Torrie, you scared me." Stephanie replied, resting her hands on her belly as she looked over at her neighbor.

"I'm always surprised how many people turn out for the parade. What's Kurt doing today? I saw him in front of your house before I left. He was up to something. I saw an blonde haired woman going into your house." Torrie told Stephanie as they started walking back toward where Steph's family was.

"No, you must be mistaken. Kurt's working today. He had a business deal that he had to go to with my dad and brother. He's not home at all." Steph replied.

"I saw him, Steph. He wasn't dressed for a meeting. He was in jeans with no shirt. I had to look twice because I thought it was odd for him to be going shirtless in the winter. He was entering the house with a blonde business woman. I didn't see your brother or father at all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop this bomb shell on you." Torrie said giving Stephanie a sympathetic look as they walked up to where Linda and Marissa were sitting with the kids.

"Steph, are you okay? You were gone a while." Marissa said seeing the look on Stephanie's face.

"I want to go home, Marissa. Torrie saw Kurt at the house. He's supposed to be at a meeting with Dad and Shane." Stephanie said looking quite upset. Her mind began to spin with possible scenarios all of which consisted of Angle deceiving her and sending her out of the house so he could have a tryst. The thought of that possibility made Steph's stomach do a back flip. She had fallen head of heels for Kurt Angle the past several months of her identity confusion. She had to get to the bottom of this.

"No, everything's fine. Torrie must be mistaken. I know Kurt, Shane, and Vince are at the meeting. I just got off the phone with Shane before you came back. Don't worry, Steph. You're just being hormonal. Let's stay and watch the rest of the parade." Marissa assured her sister-in-law.

"Andy, come on, sweetie. We're going home." Steph said to the five year old as she took him by the hand while turning around the baby stroller.

"But Mommy, Santa Clause hasn't come. He's supposed to before the parade is over. I wanna see him." Andy whined as Steph began walking them in the direction of where she parked as Marissa and Linda followed after her.

"Steph, come on now. Let's just stay till the end of the parade. Andrew was really looking forward to seeing Santa Clause come down the street in his sleigh.

"No, we're going home. Something's going on and I'm going to find out what." Stephanie muttered motioning Andy to get in the car.

"You know, Steph. Why don't you let either Marissa or I take Andrew and will follow you to the house." Linda offered seeing how physically upset her daughter was getting as she picked up the fussy nine month old from his stroller.

"I wanna ride with Granny!" Andy exclaimed as he stepped down from the Lexus and ran to Linda.

"Fine, you can follow me over. If what I think is going on is going on then you'll have to watch my kids while I give their father what for." Stephanie said placing Brandon in his car seat.

"I don't know what you think is going on, Stephanie, but I know for a fact that Kurt is nothing but a loving faithful husband." Linda told her daughter.

"Stop trying to stick up for him, Mom! Torrie saw him at the house! If I get there and he's there with some blonde bitch, he's going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do!" Steph yelled slamming the car door closed once Brandon was buckled in.

"Steph, don't be upset. You know it's not good to get upset when you're pregnant." Marissa said sympathetically while Linda helped Andrew into the back seat of her Mercedes-Benz.

"Piece of shit!" Stephanie screamed on the verge of tears as she fiddled with the baby stroller trying to get it to fold up. Marissa quickly went to her and helped her fold it with a calm push of a bar with her foot. She helped her load the stroller in the Lexus and then everyone took off bound for the Angle home.

Stephanie couldn't get to the house fast enough. She needed to know the truth about what was going on. Could it be possible that Kurt was cheating on her? If he wasn't than why did he lie about having to go to a meeting? But why were Marissa and Linda so quick to deny it? Finding out from Torrie that Kurt was at home with a blonde woman was all she could take for a day. She was just trying to get over the fact that she was now hallucinating seeing Paul and Aurora in public places. God she must have looked like a crazy pregnant woman to that couple. She remembered the look on the man's face when he asked her if he could help her. He thought she was nuts. She probably was.

The Lexus came barreling around the bend on the very street the Angle home was on. Stephanie's eyes widened as she saw a black Volvo parked in the street in front of the house.

"Unbelievable…" Steph muttered to herself as the garage door opened revealing that Kurt's H2 was parked in its spot. He was indeed home and entertaining someone who owned a black Volvo.

"Stay out here with the kids for a minute. They don't need to see this…" Stephanie told Marissa who had just got out of her car that she parked in the driveway.

"Stephanie, it's not what you think!" Linda said calling after her daughter.

Steph paid no attention as she entered the house through the laundry room. There was no sign of Kurt in the kitchen or the living room as her eyes scanned back and forth. The whole downstairs was deserted. Stephanie's eyes shifted to the ceiling as she heard Kurt and a woman's voice faintly coming from upstairs.

Quickly Stephanie walked to the winding staircase in the front of the house. She ascended it as quick as she could. Stephanie's heart was pounding from the stress and worry of finding Angle with another woman. Once at the top, she had to stop for a moment to catch her breath while she held her abdomen.

"Kurt!" Stephanie called out seeing Angle and blonde woman walking down the hall toward her. The young lady was just as Torrie had described. She looked like the type that would be working in the corporate side of the wrestling clinic. She wore black dress slacks with a vibrant red top. Kurt stopped talking as he looked at his wife. He was in his jeans and shirtless just like Torrie had said. A thin layer of sweat had formed on his chest.

"Steph, honey, I wasn't expecting you this early." Angle said with an innocent smile.

"I bet you weren't…" Stephanie muttered with a sneer as she gave him and the woman a cold stare as they all stood in the upstairs hallway. The tears began to fill up her eyes as she looked back and forth between Kurt and the woman. Could Kurt Angle really be cheating on her?


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Steph, this isn't what you think it is. Let me explain." Kurt said after seeing the look on Stephanie's face.

"You better explain why this blonde bimbo is in our house, you son of a bitch!" Stephanie retorted causing the woman to give her a look of disbelief.

"Excuse me? Look, I think I should leave. This is obviously a private matter. I'll show myself out." The woman said as she started walking toward the stairs.

"Stephanie! Listen! This is Karen Hobbes, she's an interior decorator! She helped me with my project! That's all this is!" Kurt shouted back, trying to get her attention.

"What project? Why do we need an interior decorator, Kurt?"

Kurt exhaled and then shook his head before taking her by the hand. Slowly he led Steph toward their master bedroom. He stopped just before the door and then turned left to the door opposite Brandon's nursery. It was the room Stephanie and Kurt had decided was going to be the new baby's nursery.

"Close your eyes." Kurt whispered.

"Kurt, I really can't handle anymore surprises today." Steph said through her tears. She was still very upset from walking in to find Kurt home with another woman. Regardless of the fact that she was an interior decorator.

"Just trust me, okay. Close your eyes." Kurt said again, this time with a little more force. Steph looked into his eyes, pondering if she really wanted to trust him. She closed her eyes, wondering what he had planned. While her eyes were closed, she heard the door open and was guided into the room.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Angle said.

Steph opened her eyes. They quickly widened as she saw the room. It had been completely transformed from a empty white walled room into a beautiful pretty pink nursery complete with a brand new pickled pine crib, changing table, and glider. The room was beautiful. Not only were the walls painted pink but several painted ballerina teddy bears danced across the pink wall canvas. To Stephanie's surprise, the room was laid out almost identically to how Aurora's looked. Sure the nursery theme wasn't the same but every piece of furniture was in the same place.

"I've been working on the room for weeks now. You've been so busy with work in the study that it was easy for me to get the painting done. I didn't paint the bears. Mrs. Hobbs had a painter come in right after you left this morning. Vince, Shane, and I have been working like dogs getting all the furniture put together. That's why I don't have a shirt on and I'm sweating profusely. I would never cheat on you. I don't know what kind of a man you think I am." Kurt muttered, he didn't even look at his wife. He was somewhat hurt by her mistrust in him. He started to walk past Steph but was met at the doorway by Shane and Vince.

"Kurt, Baby's R Us was out of those safety caps that you stick in the outlets." Shane said. He and Vince stopped in their tracks when they saw Stephanie standing in the room.

"Steph, you're early. I thought the parade wasn't over till three." Vince said as he looked over at Kurt.

"Where are my boys?" Angle asked Steph, turning back to face her.

"They're outside with Mom and Marissa. Kurt…" Stephanie began as she took a step forward.

"I'm going to go get the boys. I can't be here right now."

"Oh Kurt, I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. The nursery is perfect. I can't believe you did all this as a surprise for me. I feel so bad. Please don't go. Come here, don't leave." Stephanie cried going after Kurt. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back toward her.

"I was so upset. You don't know how terrible I felt when I thought you were cheating on me. I'm so in love with you. Just the thought of you not wanting to be true to me, I lost it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm a hormonal bitch." Steph sobbed, holding her arms out for Kurt.

"Hold me…Please?" Steph cried. Kurt stood in front of her. He was looking into her crying eyes and then down at her pregnant belly. He gave her a weak smile before taking her into his arms for a hug.

"I love you. I'm so sorry I got the wrong impression. This is the best surprise I've ever had." Stephanie muttered through tears as she began to kiss Kurt's face. She didn't care if he was drenched in sweat. She couldn't have loved him any more than she did at that moment.

"Oh good, it looks Kurt explained everything." Linda commented to Vince and Shane when she entered the doorway and saw Stephanie kissing Kurt.

"Is the baby shower still on?" Marissa asked as she joined Linda carrying Brandon with Andrew at her side.

"Baby shower? Is it going to be raining babies?" Andrew asked looking up at his aunt Marissa.

"A baby shower? I'm only six months along. Doesn't the shower come later on in the pregnancy?" Steph asked looking confused as she was still in Kurt's arms, looking at her family in the doorway.

"We wanted to give you a surprise baby shower. You've been so busy with work and taking care of the boys. You deserve it. We all love you, Steph." Kurt whispered, looking her eyes as he spoke.

"I love you too." She quickly replied as Brandon began to fuss in Marissa's arms. The nine month old repeatedly said "mama" as he leaned out in the direction of Stephanie while Marissa tried her best to keep a good grasp on him.

"Come here, come to Mommy." Said Steph sweetly to the baby as she took him from Marissa and brought him close. He smiled and began to baby talk placing his hands on her face.

"All right, let's go down stairs to the front room where everything's set up." Kurt said aloud as he ushered the family out of the new nursery.

Stephanie's eyes widened when she walked into the front room. The spacious sitting room was filled with gifts. Pink shiny wrapping paper shimmered in the sunlit room. A brand new high chair, baby swing, and all other kinds of baby necessities were present with big pink bows attached to them. Each item looked like it had been dipped in pink. This was going to be the first baby girl in the family. Steph was speechless. She felt herself begin to get choked up by her family's effort to throw her a surprise baby shower.

"Daddy, are these presents for me? Why are they pink? Pink is for girls." Andy said as he ran and grabbed one of the smaller gifts that were neatly wrapped.

"Hey knucklehead, those presents are for your unborn sister." Shane answered back before Kurt could explain what was going on to his son.

"I'm not a knucklehead, you big-big-big two butt stinky face weasel!" Andy stammered as fired back with a smile. He loved playing the name calling game with his uncle Shane.

"Andrew Vincent, are you calling my son a weasel? Does that mean I'm a weasel?" Vince asked his grandson.

"No, you're my pop. I only have one Pop. I love my Pop." Andrew said with a smile as he ran up to Vince and hugged his legs.

"I love you too big guy." Vince replied grabbing the five year old and tossing him up in the air before catching him. Andy gave a great big belly laugh as Vince continued to toss him in the air and catch him.

"He's going to walk anytime now, Stephanie." Linda commented watching her youngest grandson standing up while he held onto the coffee table. Kurt gave his youngest son a few kisses on the cheek before stacking the toy cups on top of one another.

"Dada! Da?" Brandon squealed as he held out one of the colored toy cups to Kurt.

"Here Steph, open this first." Marissa said handing Steph one of the gifts.

Stephanie clawed at the pretty wrapping paper. Linda and Marissa awed in unison as Steph pulled out a pretty white little baby gown. It came complete with matching white booties and bonnet.

"Aww, this is a beautiful baptismal gown. She'll look adorable." Steph gushed as she looked up to see Shane zoom in on her with the video camera.

"What's the name you and Kurt came up with?" Shane asked.

"Christine Marie Angle."

"I wanna play this, Pop, it will be fun." Andrew said to his grandfather as he walked up to him with the Lucky Ducks game from Milton Bradley.

"Okay, let's set it up. Now I don't want any crying when I win." Vince said pointing his finger in Andrew's face.

"He's like his grandfather, he's a sore loser. I played that with him last time I was here. He kicked me in the shin when I won, the little rat." Shane told his father as he zoomed in on his nephew.

"You're big fat stinky tomato head." Andy answered back holding up his fist to the camera.

"Oh Kurt, this is beautiful. I love it. Honey, it's gorgeous!" Stephanie exclaimed holding up the exquisite necklace that Kurt presented to her.

"You're gorgeous. I think you're even more gorgeous when you're pregnant." Kurt whispered before leaning in for a kiss.

"Mama!"

The baby's voice caused Stephanie to break the lip lock and look down. Brandon was now holding on to her leg for balance as he smiled up at her.

_"Stephanie? Can you hear me? __Steph?"_

Stephanie eyes widened when she heard the sound of Paul's voice calling to her. She quickly scanned the room with her eyes before looking back down at the baby.

"Oh my God…" Stephanie said aloud as she saw Aurora holding on to her where Brandon had been standing. She was smiling, rosy cheeks and all.

"Stephanie, are you all right?" Linda asked.

Suddenly a beam of light began to shine in Steph's face causing her to squint. What was going on? She could hear Kurt, Marissa, and Linda all talking to her. Asking her why she was acting this way. A flash of the white light caused Stephanie to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking at a white ceiling.

"I think she's coming around!"

"Stephanie? Oh my God, honey, can you hear me?"

Stephanie blinked her eyes a few times and then saw Paul standing over her. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. Was she hallucinating again? Had she finally lost it?

"Mrs. Levesque, I'm Dr. Manning, I'm a neurologist at Greenwich hospital. Can you hear me?" A doctor asked as he too stood over her.

Stephanie was speechless. All she could do was slowly nod her head. She could feel Paul grab hold of her hand. Then she heard her daughter cry out. It caused her to turn her head. She saw her mother standing on the other side of the bed holding Aurora.

"What happened to me?" Steph finally asked aloud in a raspy voice.

"You were in coma that was originally brought on by a large quantity of a prescription sleep aid. We had to pump your stomach but then you began to show signs of swelling of the brain. We had to snow you with Ativan to avoid the risk of seizures and brain damage. You've been comatose for three weeks. You are very lucky. All test show that you have no apparent brain damage." Dr. Manning explained.

"Where's Kurt? Where are my boys?" Stephanie was quick to ask looking over at her mother. Her hands felt her stomach where her baby bump had been. It was gone.

"Where's my baby girl?" Steph quickly added feeling her semi flat stomach.

"It's normal for her to ask some off the wall questions. During a coma, the patient is in a dream like state." The doctor assured Paul and Linda.

"Aurora's right there with your Mom. I was so worried about you, Steph. I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't leave your side. I wanted to be here when you woke up." Paul whispered before he leaned down and kissed Steph gently on her lips.

"Paul? Is that you? I mean is it really you?" Steph asked as she began to tear up. She reached with both hands for his face. His face felt rough with facial hair. She noticed the huge IV sticking in the top of her hand. It was then she also noticed the frequent beeping of the heart monitor next to Paul.

"I know that IV looks painful. That had it in your arm first but then they had to put it in your hand because it kept coming out." Linda explained.

It was at that moment that everything made sense to her. The bee sting on her arm, Paul cutting her hand, the radar detector beeping, Paul and Aurora's frequent intrusion into her alternate reality; she hadn't been Mrs. Kurt Angle at all. Kurt, Andrew, Brandon, and even the little baby she had believed to be growing inside of her had been a fantasy that her mind had produced during her coma.

"She's awake? Why didn't anyone call me?" Shane said rushing into the hospital room with Marissa and his two sons in tow.

Stephanie couldn't stop looking around at everyone that was crowded around her. She was still trying to process the fact that she had been in a coma for three weeks. Everything with Kurt and the boys had seemed so real. She had accepted that life as her reality. Steph had bought into the fact that she had created Paul and Aurora. This was some turn of events. The sound of ambulance sirens could be heard every once in a while from the near by open window.

She was so over whelmed that even after a few hours of consciousness, she wasn't much for conversation. She sat up in the hospital bed, clutching her baby daughter in her arms. She never wanted to let her go again. Paul hadn't left her bedside. He just sat with her smiling.

"You don't hate me?" Steph finally asked Paul. He gave her a look like she was crazy.

"No, I love you. You're my wife, the mother of my daughter. I could never hate you."

"Do you believe this? A two hour deal this show has. We need to get our shit together. I will not be out done!" Vince yelled at the television in the hospital room.

Stephanie looked at the TV and saw Kurt and his wife Karen backstage at the Impact zone.

"If Sting thinks I'm going to let him seek his revenge on our children than he's as stupid as I always said he was!" Kurt yelled as he held his son Kody. He and Karen were sitting on the couch in his dressing room with Kyra and Kody. He was the old Kurt Angle had remembered him as, bald head and all.

Everything was back to the way it was the night she had passed out in Aurora's nursery. She just couldn't believe it. Dr. Mott's and her psychiatric analysis had been just a part of her overactive dream state? Had she finally returned to her normal life? She has happy to be back with Paul and Aurora. Back to the life where she remembered every aspect, where there were no questions. Then there was a part of her that still loved Andrew and baby Brandon and even Kurt. She couldn't forget those amazing nights she spent with him. All the moments she spent with him and the kids were precious.

What was she thinking about? It wasn't real. Kurt Angle was never her husband. She never had his children. Andrew and Brandon were children she had made up in her mind's eye. That's why they had been so perfect, so loveable. If there was anything that Stephanie had taken from her time being "Mrs. Kurt Angle" it was that family was a precious thing. It was much more important than a high powered career. Being the head of World Wrestling Entertainment would one day be her position but being a mother to Aurora and a wife to Paul…That was her life. After this experience she would never forget or take that for granted. She had regained appreciation for the life she had. In some ways, she had been given a new chance at life.

"I'm so glad you're back with us, honey. I know you never left, but it felt like you did. I was so worried." Paul whispered as he gave her a nice long kiss which Steph cherished.

"I did leave." She answered back as she stared off into space.

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Author's Notes: I would like to take this time to thank everyone who took the time to read this fic. I've really enjoyed writing it and I hope that you all have enjoyed reading it. Please leave some feedback on what you thought of the ending or even the story as a whole. My next fan fic project is already in the works so keep checking back my profile.

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. _


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